Deeper Still
by Funky In Fishnet
Summary: Jack is still an alone runaway years on after flying off the planet with Imam and Riddick, though she meets with Riddick each year. What happens when he doesn't turn up and she has to get him out of the place they want to put her in?
1. Here It Comes Again

She sliced through the water, her lungs bursting for a breath of air. The next time she surfaced, she quickly turned her head to the side, gulping in air before ducking her head under again. Then she felt the cold hard wall in front of her, her hand gripped it above the surface, pulling her to the top. She folded her arms over the edge. She was breathing heavily, making up for the lost breaths under water. Every day she came here and ever day she increased the number of laps she did. The room was silent except for the lapping of the water against the sides. The way she wanted it to be. She always made sure she came so early in the morning that no one except her would be there and she could swim without need of a disguise. She could be herself.  
  
There was a loud startling bleep from a bag in the corner. Her head turned sharply at the noise. A message. She quickly hoisted herself out of the pool and moved quickly over to the bag, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind her. She opened her bag and pulled out a small communicator. It was a screen with a row of small buttons below it. It looked like a piece of old flight equipment, hiding the sleek high tech electrics that worked it. She waved a hand over it, allowing the com to register it was her and allow use. The screen switched to a city scene, black smog belched out of a couple tall chimneys. It looked like Tri-Furor, a dirty city run from the underground up on a planet a galaxy or so away. She waited for someone to speak. Then a computerised voice spoke  
  
"Jack, Tri-Furor, next week, ComLink Food Court, 14:00pm"  
  
Then as soon as it had appeared, the picture on screen vanished. Jack smiled and put the com back into her bag. It was time for her to get changed and get out of here before people started arriving. She slung her bag over her shoulder and walked silently out of the room. She went down a dark lit corridor, turning off through a door to an empty changing room. She stopped in front of a metal panel and pressed a button.  
  
"Name please and number" a crisp computer voice issued  
  
"Melinda Clark, 5530" Jack replied  
  
The panel buzzed for a second before swinging open. She put her bag down and stripped out of her one-piece navy blue swimsuit. Being naked in front of anyone else except herself was not an option, having someone eye her up who she didn't love disgusted her. That was why the place was empty. After a quick rub down with a towel, she pulled a bottle out of the space the panel had revealed and shook it. She quickly poured a brown substance into her hands and began rubbing it into her skin, everywhere she could reach at least. When she was out on the streets, she had to disguise herself, it was an art she'd quickly picked up and learnt. It was good fun after a while, morphing from one person into another, revisiting the ones that worked best. This skin darkener would make her look darker than tan, a dramatic difference from her usual paleness. After finishing that, she pulled a spray can out and quickly blitzed herself all over with the thin clear liquid inside of it. It made the skin set quickly, almost instantly in fact.  
  
She looked at herself in the mirror with a smile; her skin looked like she'd been born in it. Perfect. She grabbed another bottle and ran to a basin over the other side of the room, dumping the liquid in her hair as soon as her head was over it. After a vigorous hair dying session, she returned to her panel space with raven black hair. She pulled on a pair of grubby green combat pants and a white vest top, patchy in places, the outfit of a tech fixer. She quickly put everything back into her bag, slipping the com into her pocket before putting on a narrow pair of glasses with black lenses; they were like a thin narrow band over her eyes, a single piece of shiny plastic detailed in silver.  
  
Jet Marrow stared back at her from the mirror. A trim athletic body with womanly curves showing, thick black hair that was cut with no bangs and reached past the nape of her neck, cut close to her head. Her occupation was a com technical fixer. All her aliases had some link to technical work. Jack grinned at her reflection before turning, grabbing her bag and going to the bathroom area. It wasn't safe to go through the front way since people were likely to be starting to come through for their own swims. She hurriedly threw open a huge window and jumped through to the back lot, no one there to notice her. She carefully closed the window and started walking, eager to get home so that she could prepare for her latest flight. It always gave her a thrill to think about it, flying solo was something she'd dreamed of but was never allowed to pursue, her parents never thought it possible. Her parents thought she was dead.  
  
She passed people in the street without giving them a second glance but she made sure she gave the law enforcers a particularly wide berth. The last thing she wanted was to be recognised. She slipped in between everyone, a stony expression on her face and a clear plastic card clipped to her pants pocket identifying her. No one gave her a second glance; she looked like every other worker here; tired, charged with energy and angry. She reached her building quickly, slipping her card in the door before stepping through and racing to catch a lift before it left for her floor. She slipped into a free one and programmed it for floor 29, keying in its maximum speed before closing the doors. In a couple of seconds she was there.  
  
Her door was close to the lift, with another keypad to get in. Inside, she threw her bag down and herself down beside it on the couch. She allowed herself a few seconds to gather her thoughts, for everything to fall into place behind her closed eyes. Then she sat up and began emptying her bag; throwing things haphazardly onto the floor.  
  
"That should do it" she muttered under her breath as she reached the bottom  
  
Then her fingers brushed against something, rubber and plastic, stretchy and hard. Frowning, she closed her hand around it and drew it out to see. She smiled when she saw what it was. Her Riddick goggles. She remembered wearing them on top of her shaved head, over her eyes or around her neck. She could still hear Paris' bemused voice as she walked into the room with her new look for the first time  
  
"She's first in the look-a-like contest"  
  
Johns had been furious, nearly demanding that she take it off immediately. Back then, he'd still thought she was a guy, everyone did. Luckily for her, Fry had told Johns that Jack could wear what he liked. She knew that Fry felt a little responsible for her with Jack being the youngest and Fry being the captain. She'd smiled at Jack reassuringly, even though Jack knew that Fry didn't really like the outfit much herself. Riddick had been silently amused by it, she'd seen it in the way he looked her sideways out of the corners of his eyes and smirked. She wasn't sure if he was flattered by her imitation or smug that it had got under Johns' skin.  
  
She'd forgotten about the goggles, stuffing them into her bag as a sort of talisman. Riddick had been kept out of the authorities clutches for long enough, maybe it would work for her. She'd never taken them out since and sure enough, she'd stayed safe. Some would say it was runaway's luck, she knew the truth. She'd had training from the best. Richard B Riddick.  
  
After landing on Bangor, she hadn't known what to do. There was no one to take her in, no relatives. None that knew about her anyway. Iman had offered to look after her, take her back to his community where the news about his three dead sons had to be broken and mourned. But Riddick had told him that he'd look after her for a couple of weeks, then she could go out on her own. She'd been thrilled with the idea. She liked Iman a lot but staying in a place where religion was central was not her idea of an existence. Not one for a runaway orphan like herself. Riddick had taken her into the heart of the city and shown her the com-boards up about her. They hung in the sky like beacons; claiming either her death or a reward for her capture. She could scarily believe it was her up there; her parents evidently wanted her back. She knew they wouldn't care if it was just a body that appeared instead. Riddick said very little, he wasn't talkative; he just wanted to get on with things. He guided her through the city, showing her how to slip past authority and how to disguise yourself, finding ID cards long lost you could form identities out of. He'd been surprised at her high level knowledge of computers, finding her skills useful on more than one occasion. He would never admit that. Then after two weeks, he told her he had to move on. He didn't like staying in a place for too long, made him feel trapped and paranoid about the authorities finding him. So he'd gone. In the middle of the night in a small space-hopper.  
  
They'd made a pact though to meet every year just to catch up, swap any useful information see each other. He hadn't liked the idea  
  
"I don't know kid, it's too risky" he'd sighed "you got your own life to look out for, we'd be endangering each other, they've got swarms of electronics in every device that I might possibly use to try and track me down, it would mean death for the both of us"  
  
It had sent shivers down her spine to hear him say that. She knew that death was nothing new to him having brought it upon a few people himself. To her, it was still the scary unmentionable unknown  
  
"And you're scared of that" he'd continued, sensing her shiver  
  
"I don't want to be scared forever" she'd replied at last "we can do it Riddick, we'll be disguised anyway and no one will know"  
  
He'd given in eventually much to her relief, she didn't want to have to explain that she'd miss talking to him and that she enjoyed his company. He didn't go in for emotion too well, he scarcely acknowledged her as a friend even though she knew he counted her as one at his insistence that she'd be as careful as possible and that he'd know if she wasn't. So he'd send her an electronic message through her com (the number of which only he and Iman knew) and they'd meet up before perhaps hanging around for a couple of weeks and then parting for the next year. It was a loose comfortable arrangement and suited them both well. They were survivor partners who didn't need to see each other, kept up with each other through the news bulletins and through Iman sometimes as well. The holy man didn't mind giving one information about the other.  
  
Now Jack was going to see Riddick again. The time seemed to have gone past quickly. She was nineteen now, getting better at her job as outlaw and survivor. She credited that to Riddick though, in the two short weeks they'd spent together, he'd taught her just about everything she needed to know and for that she was grateful. She pulled the goggles on over her head and down to around her neck, letting them rest just above her top's neckline like a peculiar rubber necklace. She went to her tiny bedroom and began packing methodically. After years of moving on and changing location, she'd developed a highly tuned skill at quick essential packing. All she needed fitted into a silver steel case with her small canvas backpack for important items like ID and money. Everything was packed up in under ten minutes.  
  
She went around her small apartment carefully, checking that nothing would give away her identity before cleaning up and making the bed. It had to look like she'd just gone out and would be back soon. Which she probably would be. She slid her shades up onto her head, keeping her hair back and carried the cases into the hall. She locked the door and went downstairs, the cases banging against the walls as she went since the stairwell was so narrow. She knocked on a door at the bottom and a small pudgy man answered, a wide smile on his face  
  
"Jet! You going away again?" he sounded a strange mixture of sad and happy  
  
"Sure am Marcel, here's the cash for last month's rent" she handed him some crumpled bills "feel free to rent when I'm away"  
  
"You gonna be back soon?" Marcel called after her as she walked to the door  
  
"Probably in a few months" she called over her shoulder as she pushed the door open  
  
As soon as she was out, she pulled the shades down over her eyes, keeping a sour expression on her face. She needed to set off by tonight since the trip would take approximately a week. Riddick always timed things impeccably. He must have known where she was through Iman. She turned a corner and reached the launch park.  
  
It was a wonderful sight; all the ships and planes settled on the concrete, waiting for their owners to come so that they could fly again. She gave a wide exaggerated wave to a guy in a small metal booth who nodded at her, letting her know that he'd noticed she was going to launch. Rolling her eyes, she reached her tiny ship. Known as a StarFlight, it was an old model which was reliable and cheap to keep. She's bought it for half of what was normally paid and it had never let her down yet. It was good for getting from galaxy to galaxy. Best of all it was inconspicuous. She unlocked the door, letting the ramp slid down for her and hopped up into it, programming the ramp to back in and door to close.  
  
It always gave her a thrill to get back into it; she loved flying more than anything else. There she was free. She'd learnt how to fly through Riddick, any guides on file for beginners and occasional tips from other flyers at launch parks. She wasn't an expert but she could fly well and that was what mattered. She stowed her case in an over head locker at the back and began checking all the controls and levels. Everything seemed stable and the foot prep machine was stocked up too. She checked her watch; she should start now.  
  
As she began turning things on, her mind wandered to Riddick and the night that he'd flown her and Iman off the planet and to safety. It was the most unexpected thing she'd ever experienced. He was a convicted killer, apparently selfish with a clear agenda to trust no one and to look out for number one. Why should he help anyone? Because Fry had changed him when she'd died for him. That Jack understood. They'd helped him and now he was returning the favour in his own, non-acknowledging way.  
  
"Tell them Riddick's dead" he'd told her as she'd sat next to him in the cockpit "he died somewhere back on that planet"  
  
But in everyone else's minds, Riddick was still alive and killing. He had to continue to survive, more slyly than ever. He had to continue killing. Luckily for Jack, he had no desire to kill her. Which was why she was getting ready to go and see him, it was why she counted him as a friend. Hell he and Iman were the only ones left who didn't want to befriend her for free sex or hand her over the runaway authorities for money since her appearance sometimes suggested her runaway status, no matter her identity.  
  
Her mind snapped back to the ship. Flicking a final switch, she sat down as the ship began to rumble softly, strapping herself in securely. She slowly eased a lever up, starring straight ahead as her fingers went on auto- pilot, her pilot sense taking over as the ship began moving forward. Faster and faster until the city fell away behind her and it was just her and the galaxies. No one tried to catch her and no one tried to fuck her. The only place it happened. With a shake of her head, she pressed a button and sat back, soon she'd see a genuinely friendly face. One who was glad to see her for the right reasons. 


	2. Where's Riddick?

Disclaimer: don't own anything  
  
A/N thanks for the reviews guys! I can't believe I got such a quick response! Hope u like this chapter  
  
After a while when you travel, all the galaxies blend into one. When you've travelled everywhere there is to travel (and some that most don't know about) to escape capture, space travel could be sometimes boring but always relaxing. Jack lay on a small shelf like bunk at the back of her ship, having switched it to autopilot. She'd reach Tri-Furor in a matter of hours. Another good thing about space travel is that it's a good chance to catch up on sleep which was what Jack was doing. She always made sure she did whenever she travelled since most of her nights on solid ground were spent awake. She smiled in her sleep; thoughts of all that waited in Tri- Furor whirling around in her head. She'd been asleep for a long time, only waking to check the ship was heading in the right direction or get food.  
  
A loud buzzing sound jolted her awake. Her eyes snapped open, immediately looking at the control desk at the front.  
  
"What the hell is that?" she grumbled, swinging her legs over onto the ground  
  
Running a hand over her rumpled hair, she stumbled over to the controls. She sat down and began reading the various panels; there was plenty of fuel, power was up, no one was tailing her so what was all the noise about? She got her answer when a planet loomed in front of the ship. She'd arrived early  
  
"Shit! How did I manage to miscalculate the journey time again?" she muttered in disbelief to herself  
  
It was not good that this was the third time she'd miscalculated the journey time and arrived either early or late. She quickly began preparing for landing, mentally furious at herself and her scanners searching for Tri- Furor. Jack could feel her heart beat begin to quicken, excited at the thought of seeing Riddick again. He was grudgingly like her bigger badder older brother; she wondered what he'd be like when she got a boyfriend next. Overprotective probably, searching into the poor guy's family history and so on. It was a thought that made her laugh and gave her comfort, someone was at least worried about her.  
  
Tri-Furor came into sight, well the smoke did first but that pretty much indicated where it was. Jack speed up a little, scanning for the nearest landing park. She could see other ships circling the city now, darting around buildings and beacon boards.  
  
"What a trashy dump" she said "Clean City of the year"  
  
She did like it though, it had a certain appeal. She couldn't put her finger on it; she just liked the atmosphere it had, buzzing and lively. True it was pretty filthy and dirty but she was used to that. She and Riddick had met here several times by accident since they both enjoyed staying in the city. It always reminded her of him, it fitted him perfectly. It was a place where he could blend in and blend out easily since convicts basically run the place. It was his natural habitat, one where he was the most comfortable  
  
She could see the landing park now and opened her com link for security to contact her. Sure enough there was a short burst of static before a clipped voice sounded clearly into her ship  
  
"Three Suns this is Biotic Landing Park on Tri-Furor, do you intend to land here?"  
  
"Biotic Landing Park this is Three Suns, I am intending to land and stay for a month maximum"  
  
"Pilot please identify yourself and state your reasons for staying here"  
  
"Jet Marrow, technical fixer, specialise in communicators, I am alone and intend to visit friends while I'm here"  
  
There was silence then the voice began again  
  
"Proceed to space 89 Three Suns, have a good stay"  
  
The landing park signed off and Jack grinned at the silent com.  
  
"I will" she said "I certainly will"  
  
She quickly prepared for landing, checking everything twice, a habit she'd picked up from Riddick who was obsessive over everything being checked carefully when flying. Then steadily she landed, only bouncing a little. When everything was secure, she blew out her breath, leaning back into her chair.  
  
"Not bad, nearly top class, too bad I'm so hard on myself"  
  
After a moment or two to bask in the glow of a journey and landing well done, she got to her feet and checked her appearance. The skin darkener and hair dye had stayed in; there was no need to touch up. She looked like any other frazzled tired passenger. Jack was always tired; it came from always looking over her shoulder just in case.  
  
Pulling her bags out of the locker, she turned everything off and walking out of the ship, being very careful to lock it afterwards. There was no one around on the park; they were all recovering after lunch. It meant she didn't have to answer any awkward questions and could find somewhere to stay before she went to meet Riddick. She checked her watch and swore loudly, it was nearly two now which meant she didn't have time to change into someone else.  
  
"Guess I'll have to be Jet for a day or two more" she sighed  
  
It also meant that Riddick was probably waiting for her. He was always at their meeting places exactly on time and always knew when she was late. She suspected he watched from the rooftops before making his own entrance.  
  
She quickly crossed the park and hurried down the steps to the street. As usual, Tri-Furor was busy, full of people hurrying in and out of doorways. Here everything seemed grey. It was the concrete that did that but then there were bright colours everywhere as well, enticing you to come in and spend. Luckily for Jack, the beacon boards that hovered above the city had no criminal reward messages up. Since the city was as crooked as they got, there was no point advertising the capture of the city's leading lights. It was another reason Jack liked coming here, there was less chance of you being caught but then they were quick hard on people on wanted lists who came into the city; they thought it made them look good to help others out. An oddly amusing paradox.  
  
The Com-Link Food Court was hard to miss. A huge sign with canary yellow letters spelling out its name was kind of a giveaway. Jack shook her head a little; this place was so trashy it was good. She loved the atmosphere, music was played loudly and as noted by the name, you could eat while getting your com fixed. It was a cool place with every type of food available. She pushed the glass door open and sat down at a spare table. The place was dim-lit with little lamps on each table, apparently it saved power but Jack didn't buy it, it just added to the atmosphere.  
  
"Light" she said in a barely audible whisper  
  
The lamp flickered to life beside her. With a smile, she pulled her com out and began fiddling with the back, debating whether or not to see if she could take it apart and put it back together before Riddick got there.  
  
"Can I take your order?" came a voice  
  
Jack looked up to see an expectant waiter with an electro pad ready. She didn't even have to think about it  
  
"Hot coffee, white, milky" she said  
  
The waited pressed some buttons and nodded  
  
"It'll be ready in five" he said as he went to the next table  
  
Jack checked her watch and frowned slightly. It was past two now and Riddick was nowhere in sight. It was true he was going to be in disguise but they always recognised each other. If he'd found a disguise that fooled her then she'd be surprised. She idly looked around the court, it was huge and there were a lot of people there. She was sat near the door, she and Riddick always arranged to meet near the door since it was easier to spot each other. She knew that Riddick wouldn't sit anywhere else or he'd have contacted her.  
  
A prickle of worry began in her head as a cup of steaming coffee was put down in front of her. She handed the waiter some coins with barely a glance and lifted it to her lips, drinking in the hot calming liquid. She hated waiting; Riddick knew that so where was he? It wasn't like him at all and in all truth, Jack was starting to get really worried. Time was ticking on.  
  
Just then, the door opened and a couple of Blues walked in. That was what everyone who ran from them called the authorities since when you were running; the colour of their shirts was all you could make out behind you. They were both male, looking around with scowls on their faces. Jack continued to work on her com, ignoring the Blues. She felt that if she didn't notice them then maybe they wouldn't notice her.  
  
As she picked up her coffee again, .she felt a pair of eyes on her. Instinctively, she knew it wasn't Riddick. Taking a sip, she looked up and saw one of the Blues staring at her. It wasn't a good stare, heck it wasn't even an 'I'm-imagining-you're-naked' stare. It was an 'I've-seen-you- somewhere-before' stare. This was not good. If a Blue has seen you somewhere before, it's usually from a beacon board or a most wanted list. Jack did not want to be recognised either of them. Her senses were on full alert now. She looked briefly at the Blue before looking back down at her com. He looked like he loved his job, especially the part where he caught the bad guys. He looked like an asshole but that was her own personal assessment. As she continued working on her com, she looked from side to side with her eyes only. She couldn't get out the front door without the Blues stopping her. The only other way out was through the kitchens and they were all the way at the other end. It would have to do. She'd have to go now if she wanted to get out without questioning. It would look suspicious but at least she'd get out. One thought kept screaming in her head  
  
"Where's Riddick?!!"  
  
It was now quarter past two. Something had happened. He was never late; even if he'd seen the Blues he would have come in to get her out. Jack hoped that the Blue hadn't seen through her disguise. If he had then he was taking his time in taking her in. She'd be a big catch to get since she was so closely linked to Riddick on file. Next to Riddick, she was the biggest catch you could get since the reasoning was through her you could get to him. The Blue was still staring at her, trying to see her face. Luckily it was hidden by her shades and the fact that she was staring down. Then the Blue started to walk towards her.  
  
"Lets move" Jack said to herself silently, bracing herself for a sudden run  
  
As she was about to get to her feet, a voice sounded loudly from the doorway.  
  
"Becky! How are you my child?"  
  
She got to her feet, trying not to look shocked. The voice was directed at her. The Blue had stopped in his tracks as she turned around and was enveloped in a hug  
  
"Dad! It's wonderful to see you" she said brightly  
  
This confirmed it. Something was very wrong and she was in deep trouble. 


	3. Old Friends

Disclaimer: don't own anything, the characters Riddick, Jack and Iman from 'Pitch Black' (but u knew that already right? Otherwise u wouldn't be reading this fic!).  
  
"It is wonderful to see you also my child"  
  
The Blue stood frowning hard, his arms crossed over his chest. His partner, having trawled through the whole food court came up behind him and talked quietly into his ear. The first blue nodded and began talking back, gesturing to Jack, obviously trying to work something out.  
  
Jack pulled out of the embrace of soft brown robes and loving arms and found herself looking at the one thing she'd come to Tri-Furor to find; a familiar face who was genuinely happy to see her. Iman was stood in front of her. He reached down and lifted her steel suitcase from the ground.  
  
"I'm so sorry I was late Becky but I'm here now and the family are waiting to see you, come" he said  
  
Jack nodded, keeping a happy smile on her face and gathered up her canvas bag and communicator. Becky was her codename, an agreed identity she, Riddick and Iman had created if any of them needed help. They pretended to be a family. Jack was Becky, Iman's daughter. The real Becky had been one of Iman's friends' daughters who he'd watched grow up. He'd never had a daughter. Using the codename was also Iman's way of indicating that there was something seriously wrong and that they needed to get out of there fast. Iman had rarely used it before, saying he would only use it for real emergencies. It had all been Riddick's idea.  
  
Jack slung her bag over her back and walked out beside Iman. The Blues watched carefully as the couple past them, scrutinising their every move. Jack didn't give them the satisfaction of a glance. She and Iman reached the street and continued walking silently. Jack was desperate to ask why Iman was here instead of Riddick and what had happened that warranted his appearance on Tri-Furor anyway. It wasn't near Iman's beloved New Mecca. But she knew that talking about such things in the street was not a good idea, everyone in Tri-Furor was waiting for the chance to get on the good side of the crime bosses by giving information. She knew that if they got her in their clutches, they'd be rewarded well. She'd learnt that the hard way  
  
Iman turned sharply into a side street and continued walking, staring ahead. Then he spoke quickly out of the corner of his mouth.  
  
"Is there anyone following us?"  
  
Jack reached into her pocket and pressed a button on her com. It would send out radio waves and send back a moving picture of their surroundings. A tiny bleep told her it was ready. She drew it out of her pocket and scanned it carefully.  
  
"Yeah we got a Blue trailing at a distance" she said quietly  
  
Iman nodded and began walking quicker. Jack matched his pace. They both knew they needed to lose their tracker so that they could talk in private. A sense of urgency overtook them both. Iman seemed to know the streets well as he led her through noisy alleyways without much thought or pause. Jack followed him closely, concentrating hard, her mind still reeling through all the possibilities of what could have happened. Iman abruptly turned into a tiny road and then stopped in front of a small building. He led her into it as quickly as he could and locked the door behind them.  
  
"Are they still on our trail?" he asked  
  
Jack checked her com and shook her head as she slipped back into her pocket  
  
"We lost him somewhere back at the second crossroad"  
  
Iman let out his breath and put the suitcase down. A truly happy smile spread across his face as he looked her properly. They hadn't seen each other for several years due to the fact that he didn't venture far from his community, he liked to be near to them after the loss of his sons. He swept her into another hug, squeezing her gently  
  
"It truly is good to see you" he said "I know you have plenty of questions so go upstairs into the first room on the left, I'll be up there shortly and we can talk"  
  
"Got it"  
  
Jack raced up the stairs; running on nervous highly charged energy. Everything was cool and calm in this house; she could feel Iman's presence in it everywhere. It was something she found she could do; sense people and where they were. She hit the pad outside the room and the door slid open. It slid shut after she got in; she found the room in total darkness. For a second, she expected Riddick to be in there and her heart sped up at the thought. But she knew he wasn't, she couldn't sense him there. It made her stomach drop.  
  
"Light" she said softly "Lights on"  
  
The room slowly began to glow with clear white light. It didn't have much in, a few metal chairs and some shelves attacked to the wall with thick metallic books stacked on. There was a window but Jack knew better than to look outside, who knew who would see her. She sat down on one of the chairs, jiggling her feet up and down in impatience. That sick feeling in her stomach was growing bigger and bigger as her worry grew. Where was Riddick? Iman rarely strayed from his planet and his family, only in the direst of emergencies. The thought that something had happened to Riddick made her feel even more nauseous  
  
There was a squeak and than soft footsteps up the stairs. Iman appeared through the door, a tired smile on his face. It was what was in his eyes that scared Jack the most; compassion, pity and sadness.  
  
"Iman, where the hell is Riddick?" she asked before he could even sit down.  
  
Iman paused then pulled a chair out so that he was opposite her and sat down, arranging his robes carefully around him.  
  
"I don't know" he said at last "That is why I am here"  
  
He pulled his own com from his pocket and handed it to her. It displayed a message dated from more than a week ago.  
  
"I received this message from Mr Riddick about a week and a half ago" Iman said "a little while after as I understand it, he sent you a message arranging for your yearly meet"  
  
Jack read the message as quickly and carefully as she could. Her heart was beating fast at the easily recognisable style of writing. It was Riddick, his words.  
  
'Holy man, something ain't right, I don't know how but some Blues have got word of where I am so I'm gonna have to disappear, I've got Mercs on my trail too and if I don't go, I'm gonna end up back in slam. They're closing in tight. Meet Jack on Tri-Furor at the Food Court Café at 14:00 on the 14th. I'm not gonna be there. Then take her to New Mecca. She has to get out. Show her this message. Jack, I'm sorry I couldn't be there kid but when you've got Mercs and Blues on your back, you know it's time to move on. I'll contact you soon. R'  
  
Jack handed the com back to Iman, her heartbeat pounding in her chest. He had Blues and Mercs on his trail? He wanted her to go to New Mecca? Something must have gone seriously wrong; he could usually easily fool them both with his disguises and ultra quick stops on planets, never in one place for longer than necessary. Then there was the Blue recognising her in the Café, almost like they knew she'd be there. It wasn't right.  
  
Iman looked at her carefully. He could see her thoughts racing across her face as she tried to fit them altogether. Taking a breath, she spoke  
  
"How did those Blues recognise me?"  
  
"From what I have heard on my travels here, somehow they know of your disguises, your aliases" Iman sighed "I am not sure how, I've overheard Blues, as you call them, discussing how to recognise you, they say it's because of your always dark hair and technology based identities, you have that look, 'runaway eyes' that gives you away"  
  
"If it gives me away then why the hell aren't I in slam?" Jack demanded "It's not possible that they know my identities! There's no way they'd find out unless....." Jack's voice trailed off "unless they'd managed to hack into my database and find all my new IDs. Oh shit! All the ones I've used in the five years are there! But it's airtight; no one can get in except me"  
  
"It is possible" Iman replied "you forget the people they have working for them, you and Mr Riddick have a tendency to underestimate their powers throughout technology, everyone is looking for you, there is a price for your capture or" his voice grew quiet "your death"  
  
Jack felt a shiver course through her. It wasn't like she hadn't heard it before, she'd faced it before but it still gave her chills. Her hand went into her pocket and closed around the curved shiv that was hidden in there. Like Riddick, it was her preferred weapon. Guns were more easily traced through people willing to sell information to those in power about who bought what. Shivs were easily made, wiped for prints and got rid of. It was power in your hand without the drawbacks.  
  
Iman watched her draw the shiv out of her pocket and clutch it tightly. He eyed her slightly nervously.  
  
"Have you had to....kill anyone?" he asked softly  
  
Jack looked down at her blade and laid in on her lap, one hand still wrapped around the handle. He'd never asked her that question before. Riddick knew. Riddick knew without her having to say anything, he could read it easily in her face. He knew it would happen anyway, you had to survive. But she didn't know if Iman would understand.  
  
"Only when I've needed to" her voice was soft "Mercs who've wanted to kill me, Blues who tried to take me in and one civilian for trying to fuck me and not taking no for an answer"  
  
Iman closed his eyes at this, trying to make the images in his mind disappear. He knew she'd had to but it didn't make it any easier to swallow. He still had trouble dealing with Riddick's victims.  
  
Jack put the shiv back into her pocket and looked at Iman. He tried to smile. It wasn't reassuring.  
  
"How long are you here for? You never venture too far out" she asked  
  
"As long as it is needed to take you back"  
  
Jack looked at him carefully. There was still something there. Something that she couldn't read or make out. He was hiding something, something important. The real reason he'd come to find her.  
  
"So where is he really?" she said studying his face "You know"  
  
Iman pressed his lips together and kept unwillingly silent.  
  
"Iman! Tell me now! Why didn't Riddick cancel our meeting? He could have done easily" her voice got louder  
  
"Because he has been caught" said Iman, looking up into her eyes "he has been put into a slam"  
  
Jack opened and closed her mouth wordlessly. It wasn't possible! Riddick had been evading capture since the crash. No one could catch him; he was too fast, strong and smart for any Merc or Blue. Her stomach flip-flopped endlessly and the thought lodged in her brain. She knew it had happened.  
  
"How?" she asked quietly  
  
"I do not know, I just know he has been caught from the messages I have been hearing, the authorities are not exactly secretive about the fact they have caught Richard B Riddick"  
  
"Escaped convict. Murderer" Jack finished in a small voice  
  
Iman took one of her hands in his own. She looked at him, she felt like her world had had the bottom ripped off it. Riddick was the centre of everything; he was the one who'd taught her survival. Without him, she'd be dead and buried or locked up herself. She valued his friendship more than any other next to Iman's. If he was in slam, he was as good as dead and that was breaking her.  
  
"So he couldn't cancel the meeting" she said slowly "because he was locked up, which slam is he in?"  
  
"Jack my child, I would have told you if I knew, he could be in any, they're trying to hide him as best they can" Iman paused "I don't know what they plan on doing with him"  
  
"So he wants me to go back to New Mecca with you, he wants me out of the way" she said distastefully, she looked at Iman for a heartbeat before speaking again "I'm not going Iman"  
  
"Yes you are my child; do you know how many people are looking for you? It is not just because of your killings"  
  
Before she could stop him, Iman held her wrist firmly with his own hands and peeled back the wide skin-tight black leather armband she wore on one wrist to reveal a narrow ring burnt into the skin of her wrist, an immoveable bracelet. She tore her wrist from his grasp in horror.  
  
"It is because he knows they will try to find, torture and kill you in front of him to break him totally before he is killed also" Iman said softly  
  
Jack looked at him warily, like a hurt animal would. She rubbed her wrist with her hand, looking down at it sadly. With a sigh, she peeled off an identical armband from her other wrist, revealing another burnt bracelet  
  
"How did you know about them?" she said  
  
"You never take off the armbands, I knew you were hurt somehow but I was not sure, where are they from?"  
  
Jack frowned and screwed her eyes closed. She'd never wanted to reveal this to anyone. They were her scars and her business, no one else's but her own. They were her own reminders of the Blues and Mercs constantly on her trail.  
  
"Two years ago I was caught on Bangor" she said, looking down at her wrists "They'd found one of my old IDs or something, maybe someone recognised me I don't know, anyway I was taken into a slam and..." she swallowed before speaking "tortured, slowly, they...they wanted me to tell them where Riddick was, I had some ideas but I refused to tell them, I couldn't let him be caught, he hates to be caged, so they branded me, put glowing white hot ring bracelets around each wrist so that they melted and burned my skin, leaving an imprint of the rings, I've got other scars but they're well hidden, no man I've met has been able to cope with seeing them and hearing how I got them, I escaped, I've hid them ever since, I don't want Riddick to know, he'd only yell at me for not being more careful, for being caught, like he is now"  
  
With that, Jack pulled the leather armbands over the scars again. She never took them off ever. She never planned to again.  
  
"They will do worse to you Jack if you do not come back with me, you'll be safe" Iman tried again  
  
"I don't want safe Iman! I want danger, I want survival, I want living my life this way, I want to live Riddick's way!" she said, her voice harsh "now you can go back to New Mecca but me, I'm gonna start travelling and I'm gonna get Riddick out"  
  
*  
  
There weren't days any more. Just endless time with nothing in between. Darkness only came in patches. They'd put him in a cell that had glaring light filtering in, right onto his face. They thought it was amusing to have him in the light, knowing how it hurt him. They thought it was funny to have him chained to a post, forced to sit on his ass all day with no goggles or blindfold to cover his eyes. He was forced to keep them shut until the darkest of night. They put his goggles in his pocket to make it even more torturous. Help so close but unable to reach it.  
  
He didn't know what they'd do to him. He still didn't know how he'd been captured. He knew it had been coming, he'd smelt the trap closing with no way out and seen the looks on Blues faces; smug in the knowledge they were gonna get him. Some Blues came in and kicked him hard whenever they had the chance, just to brag to their friends that they'd beat on Richard B Riddick, the most wanted man. He could withstand the pain. He couldn't withstand the mouth bit. They'd fitted him with one again, knowing how much trouble he'd kicked up when he was put on that ship. Now his agony was their entertainment.  
  
He was waiting. Storing himself up. Iman had got his message, that much he knew. He couldn't lash out at his captors given his position. He needed to get out, freedom, he needed to damn well breathe again and he needed to fucking break some necks. Jack knew that. Jack. He hoped Iman had got to her before the Blues did. He'd heard them talk about finding her and bringing her in. That would kill her. She couldn't stand to be locked up. That was why she'd run away. Iman better have taken her back to New Mecca with him. Where she'd be safe, no Blues would dare do any violent killings or arrests there. The deep religious atmosphere scared them. He tried not to smile; it hurt his mouth too much with the bit in. He needed Iman to take her away. Otherwise she'd be chained up beside him, on death row like him. With no way out. 


	4. I Disobey to Repay

Disclaimer: don't own anything, though I do wish I did  
  
Iman sighed deeply, retracting his hands from Jack's and sitting back in his chair. He seemed deflated, like all the air had been sucked out of him by Jack's words. Jack felt a pang of regret for making him feel this way; she knew he had her safety, her best interests at heart. Iman was all about safety and doing the right thing. Well for Jack, the right thing was pretty clear; rescuing Riddick. She shook the pang of regret away and immediately felt calm; this was what she had to do.  
  
"Somehow, I thought you would say that" Iman said after a while "but I had to ask in the vain hope that you might return with me"  
  
"As you said, you know I can't" Jack replied softly "Riddick needs me, no matter how much he tries to push me away to safety, I'm the only one who's gonna bother to try rescue him so I've gotta help him"  
  
"Like he helped us, all that time ago?" Iman asked curiously  
  
"No..yes, I don't know, I don't feel like I have to repay him for taking our asses with him on that ship instead of leaving us for alien food" explained Jack "I care about him and I can't leave him in a slam, even if he wants me to"  
  
"Mr Riddick will not be surprised if you do rescue him, he may even expect it"  
  
"That I don't doubt but he still thinks I'm on my way to New Mecca with you"  
  
"Where are planning to start your search?"  
  
"Far away from here, they wouldn't keep him in a place where no one would hesitate in trying to ghost him for money; if I know Blues they want the reward all to themselves" mused Jack, almost to herself as she thought it over "it'll be somewhere secure but tucked away where people won't think of looking"  
  
"Remember they may be scanning your communicator, which may be how they knew to find you at that food court" suggested Iman "you must limit your messages"  
  
"Sounds right, once they found my identities, it would be easy to track my com" sighed Jack "but that means I'm gonna need a new ship for the time being as they'll probably know the registration and everything, although they might not considering the amount of tampering Riddick and I did to hide my connection with it"  
  
Riddick. She could see him now in her mind's eye. He'd told her a lot about the slam over the years, thinking that as she got older she'd be able to understand more. When she first asked about it, he'd said it was dark and soulless, nothing there but empty shells of broken people who didn't do anything wrong or fucked up psychos who were caged in away from everyone. When she'd asked which one he was, he'd grinned fiendishly and asked her to guess. It had made her shiver, to think of that side of him. Now, as she thought about it, she began to understand. You had to protect yourself when Mercs and Blues came looking for you and that was when the killing had to start. She understood that better than anyone. Yet Riddick had that primitive side that she couldn't reach deep inside of him, one that kept him awake in cryo-sleep or so he'd told her and the one that brought him to kill.  
  
"I have a ship you may borrow" Iman's gentle voice brought her out of her thoughts sharply  
  
He looked at her with kind eyes, he knew what she'd been thinking about and had let her sink deep into her memories and thoughts. She smiled in response, shaking off the last of her notions of Riddick's animal nature. That would take years of unwrapping to truly understand.  
  
"That would be great" she said "I'll leave Three Suns here, they'll probably take possession of it anyway seeing as it's mine, I still need a new identity though since they know all mine"  
  
"It will have to very different to all your last ones" Iman said "since they appear to have identified a pattern in the way you chose to create them"  
  
"Is my case still downstairs?" Jack asked, her mind beginning to form an idea in her mind  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Good, I can create a new ID from the stuff in there; I can be ready by tomorrow"  
  
"You will have to leave tonight" corrected Iman before she could go on  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"I am sure those Blues who we encountered in the Food Court will have run a check on me, they may have even found someway to connect the two of us together which means they will surely come to this house before nightfall" Iman explained, getting to his feet "We have much work to do my child"  
  
There was something strangely comforting in Iman calling her that. It took her back to when she was just a gangly teen who had stowed away on the Hunter-Gratzer and experienced the crash with the rest of them. He had treated her like a daughter then and had never stopped doing so afterwards. It always made her feel better. He was a better father than her own one anyway. At least he cared.  
  
*  
  
"I can't believe I'm wearing this" Jack muttered under her breath  
  
"It was your idea" replied Iman with a laugh "besides, you look beautiful"  
  
"By whose definition?" Jack wondered silently  
  
The person staring back at her in the mirror was someone who had not surfaced for a long time. Someone completely different. She wore a fitted burnt orange top with long sleeves and a long pale grey skirt with flat sandals on her feet. Her hair was now very long past her shoulders and was a burnished golden orange changing her appearance dramatically. Most startling of all were her large eyes, usually green, which were now a bright blue thanks to contact lenses. It took her back to being with her parents and being made to 'look respectable'. Her brow furrowed as she thought about all the times she'd argued with her mother, all the times her mother had told her to behave properly and stop acting like a child even though she was only eleven. Her mother had wanted her to grow up way too fast for Jack's liking. Soon her mother didn't care, leaving her to do what she liked and telling her never to use her surname again since she was no daughter of her's. That was when Jack ran away.  
  
"What are you thinking of my child?" Iman asked  
  
"My mother" Jack replied, her voice flat "the first time she tried to make me wear a skirt when I was going to go out with some friends, I haven't worn one since"  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
There was a short pause as Jack considered telling him before shrugging and deciding to go for it since he asked the question.  
  
"I told her to fuck off" she replied shortly  
  
Iman winced at her language but couldn't help giving a tiny smile at the image of Jack, a couple of years younger than when he'd first met her, all awkward limbs and adult ideas, refusing to look like a girl. It was highly believable.  
  
"I take it that's where it all started?" he asked  
  
"What running away? Pretty much, she wanted me to be something I'm not, I refused and she disowned me, she wanted me to be like my cousin who had no problem being grown up, I wanted to be a child first and an adult later, my mother wanted me to be a young lady, all pretty and feminine"  
  
"You did not want to be?"  
  
"It was boring when all my friends were guys and treated me like one" Jack retorted, flicking her hair off her shoulders in annoyance "it didn't fit in with my lifestyle, for example she called me Jacqueline, I hate that name; it makes me think of her while anyone who's close to me knows to call me Jack"  
  
Iman shook his head a little. Jack ignored him, she didn't want his pity. It was the way things had been with her and her mother. They'd degenerated into icy silences and harsh restraints on her lifestyle. She had only been eleven for fuck's sake! Her mother wouldn't let her be a child so Jack had run away. It was freedom, something she still craved, something she needed to survive. It linked her to Riddick. He couldn't be caged up.  
  
She turned and picked up her bag, nearly tripping as she did. She hitched her skirt up a little, swearing loudly as she did, not caring that Iman was there.  
  
"How the hell am I supposed to drive a ship in this shit?" she said disgustedly, gesturing to her clothes  
  
"It was your choice" Iman reminded her "and they certainly will not recognise you like that"  
  
"They'd better damn not" Jack muttered, taking a last look at her transformed self before turning to Iman "ready to go?"  
  
He nodded and led her out of the back door. As he did, she stopped suddenly, her sense filled with a presence she knew immediately. Blues. They were at the front. Iman stilled when he saw the look on her face.  
  
"Are they here?" he asked quietly  
  
"At the front" she replied  
  
Iman began moving quickly, Jack right behind him, her skirt hitched up so that she could run easily. The landing park was near Iman's house and they soon reached it, Jack looking furtively behind her for any sign of Blues. She knew they'd go through the house from top to bottom for any sign of her before coming here. It gave them more time.  
  
"Here Jack" Iman dropped a key into her hand "You have transferred everything that was needed from your ship to mine, everything valuable?"  
  
"Sure, by the time I get back here I bet it'll be scrap metal"  
  
"Where are you heading to?"  
  
"Bangor, their com systems are top range so I'll be able to created a new database for myself there without many questions as well as search for the slam Riddick's in"  
  
Iman nodded and quickly hugged her. She hugged him back, feeling strangely sad that he wasn't coming with her. An image of her, Iman and Riddick in that ship escaping the planet came to her, it was a comforting one. Especially when she remembered Riddick taking her hand and squeezing it gently, the first sign of real affection she'd ever seen from him. She'd been grateful and she still was now. That was why she had to get him out.  
  
"If you ever need to hide yourself and Mr Riddick then do not hesitate to find me on New Mecca" Iman said once he'd released her "you will be most welcome"  
  
"Thanks Iman, you're leaving tonight as well right?"  
  
"Yes, it is best that I get home with the authorities so close"  
  
"I guess I'll see you"  
  
With a small wave, she went to the ship. It was a slightly different model to her own but manageable. Everything she needed was inside. It was time to go to Bangor.  
  
*  
  
Would this day ever end? Riddick didn't think so. The bit was making his mouth so fucking dry and uncomfortable. The sun beat hard at his face, making him wince involuntarily. He cursed himself silently for it. They mustn't know it was working, that their plan to put him somewhere where the sun could get him was hurting him. He could withstand pain; he was built to do so. Mostly, he sat like stone, carved out of darkness except for hot rays slicing through his black comfort and onto his face. It was torture. But they mustn't know that.  
  
Earlier, a Merc had stopped to talk to him. He knew that Merc well, recognised his smell. It was one who had hunted him hard over the past few years, driven by the greed for the money reward and the desire for fame that capturing Richard B Riddick would bring. Mercs. They were all the same.  
  
The Merc had stood in front of him. Farrell, this one's name was, Riddick knew that. He knew a lot more about Farrell as well, whether he planned to use this information or not was another matter. Riddick could see him in his mind's eye. Tall and darkly fair, small brown eyes permanently narrowed to shoot with. Probably dressed as a Blue since he was allowed into the cell which only Blues were allowed into. Riddick could hear the contempt and gloating on the voice  
  
"You're gonna be one hell of a pay day, I am going to richer than you've ever dreamed of, Riddick"  
  
Riddick had felt him come closer, felt his beer-rich breath against his hot face. He'd steeled himself and sat rigidly still.  
  
"I'm gonna enjoy watching you die big man, especially when your bitch dies before me, that's right, I've brought you in and then I'm gonna bring her in"  
  
"He's gonna have a hell of a job on his hands" Riddick though wryly to himself  
  
Jack was quick and she was good at what she did and that was escaping the Blues and Mercs that had hounded her ever since she'd run away. She was his partner. She knew exactly what he wanted her to do before he even said it. She craved freedom like he craved the darkness and she was safe on New Mecca waiting for him. Now all he had to do was find a way out of this shithole and join her there where no one could touch him, for a while. Problem was, he was too weakened from the sun and the torture the Blues had inflicted regularly on him to think straight and what made him even more furious was the fact that the Blues knew this. They knew they were watching him die. They'd end it as excruciatingly as possible once they'd given up searching for Jack. He rattled his chains loudly and smiled painfully around the bit to himself, oh once he got out, pay back was gonna be hell. 


	5. Log in, Stay Asleep

Disclaimer: don't own anything but u know that by now right?  
  
Jack breathed a full sigh of relief as Tri-Furor inched out of sight. She didn't realise she had been nervous until she felt her heartbeat slow down and her breaths steady. The Blues had been a long way back and no one on the landing park had even given her and Iman a glance so why was she so worked up? It couldn't be fear, she wasn't afraid of fighting Blues. It wasn't like she hadn't done it before; it was part of life now. No, she wasn't afraid of that. In fact she looked forward to it now. Maybe she'd cut up the motherfucker who'd managed to get Riddick into slam. She'd enjoy doing that. Of course it could have been a Merc, there were always Mercs after her and Riddick. They'd gotten to know some of them in fact, found out about them to play with their minds and even the score. It scared some of them off when their families were hurt or valuable equipment was spirited away into the darkness. But some stayed, the lure of all that money for the pair's capture dangling enticingly in front of them as a constant goal. Jack shook her head, she admired their persistence but eventually, she or Riddick would kill them. It was inevitable.  
  
So why had she been nervous? It wasn't the Blues or the Mercs. It was losing her freedom. It was being put into slam and being caged like an animal while God knows what the Blues would do to her. If they tried to fuck her, then they'd be dead by morning, festering in a pool of their own blood. She smiled coldly, feeling the cold metal of the shiv press into her hip, secure in the waist pouch where it was discreetly hidden from the world. She craved her freedom, just like Riddick did. That was why she'd run away when her mother had tried to stifle who she was and make her grow up way too fast. Freedom was air Jack breathed. Without it, she felt like she would die.  
  
She would not be locked up. She never thought Riddick could be. A frown puckered her face. How the hell did they manage to get him into slam? He was impossible capture. He could smell when Blues or Mercs were near him so they couldn't have taken him by surprise. It was an interesting idea. Maybe they'd knocked him with some sort of sleeping drug but he'd need to drink it first. Ooooh, there was her answer. Riddick liked to drink. A lot sometimes. If he was drunk enough then it was possible that a Blue or a Merc could have got close enough to him to drop something in his drink and then take him away when he was out. He'd sent his message to Iman before he was taken, he'd known they were going to try and get him. He could smell them around him.  
  
Jack sighed. Her heartbeat was speeding up again. It scared her to know that Riddick could be put into slam. He was the one who escaped and avoided the Blues like a shadow. He was the one who laughed about being caught. He was the one in slam. She shook her head. He'd wanted her to go to New Mecca. Did he really believe that she was gonna go? Wanting her safe from capture. Did he really think that the Blues and Mercs wouldn't storm New Mecca looking for her? Most wouldn't but there would be some, the ones she and Riddick hadn't killed who would persist to look for her. She wasn't safe anywhere and that was the way she lived. He should know that. She couldn't live any other way.  
  
She settled back into the flight chair, trying to clear her clouded thoughts. She was going to get Riddick out. So what if he thought she was thousands of miles away? Would he just say he'd rather stay in slam than he rescued by his best friend? His best friend. Jack smiled. Yeah he was her best friend. Nothing more. At that thought, something flickered insider of her. Long buried desire. She quickly snuffed it out, feeling her heart quicken again. He was nothing more and never would be anything more. She grinned to herself, remembering the way she'd idolised him on that planet. Thank God she had grown up. Probably.  
  
*  
  
Bangor was different to a place like Tri-Furor. While Tri-Furor was sweltering and noisy, Bangor was quieter, a buzzing haven for all those technically minded. It was full of tech-heads and web-lizards. The sort of people who only exist through computers. The sort of people who were hired by the authorities to erase someone's records or discover IDs of a wanted criminal.  
  
Jack looked out to her left. She could see the planet rise up in front of her. A memory stirred inside. She remembered the last time she'd seen this view. She'd been a scared little eleven year old, sitting next to a convicted killer who'd saved her life with a holy man sat behind her praying quietly. She'd shivered at the sight of the planet. It looked so chilling and desolate. Riddick had squeezed her hand and when she'd looked at him, stared back. No smile on his face, just a silver-eyed stare. At least it wasn't a scowl. She'd nodded at him and then continued looking out the window. When they'd touched down, they'd gone to the nearest landing park they could and disappeared as quickly as possible. That was when Iman suggested Jack come with him back to New Mecca and Riddick had saved her again, making a decision for her that would change her life. She would become a survivor. She would become like him.  
  
"This is Landing Dock on Bangor, please state name and business" a static flat voice brought Jack sharply out of her memories  
  
"Landing Dock this is The Serenity, my name is Marie Robinson and I'm here to visit some friends for about a month" Jack replied clearly, taking her voice a couple of octaves lower  
  
There was a short moment of silence before  
  
"Thank you Serenity please continue to the Landing Dock in Space #10, enjoy your stay"  
  
Jack turned the radio off and began concentrating on the landing. She had a few miles to go but she hadn't realised that she was so close to the city while she'd been daydreaming. Thank God for the invention of autopilot. The city was as she remembered. Lots of small blue-grey buildings crammed together, adverts for electrical appliances were plastered everywhere. Even the billboards hovering above the city advertised the newest com models instead of offering rewards for criminals. It was another point in Bangor's favour.  
  
She calmly landed the ship on her designated landing spot and breathed out slowly. Her heartbeat, she'd realised had slowed right down again while she'd been concentrating on landing the ship. When she was flying a ship, everything else seemed to disappear, leaving just her and the controls to manhandle. It was a genuine stress-reliever, miles better than those over- expensive electro stress busters that so many people swore by. Riddick had once told her that stress was part of his life, it kept him charged and continuing to move. Without it, he wasn't sure he'd be able to function.  
  
She paused, pushing her thoughts of Riddick aside and began carefully checking the console in front of her. There was plenty of fuel left, hull integrity level without a check needed and the food was well stocked up. She didn't need to do anything to the ship until she got onto it to leave for Riddick. She smoothed her hands over her hair, smiling as she remembered how long it had suddenly become. The last time she'd had long hair was before she'd run away. Then it had been a deep brown and she'd chopped it off into a short boyish cut she could easily hide under a cap. Now it was burnished gold and very hot on her neck. It was going to get some getting used to after years of short hair. Sighing, she picked up her case and bag and stepped out of the ship.  
  
There was a biting chill to the air that made her shiver slightly. It was so different to Tri-Furor. She clenched her teeth together and walked out of the ship, locking it as she did. She had to find a place she could start working on her identity. She'd need an ID card and an account. That would take a lot of computer work and some quick hacking. She also needed to find a place to stay in while she was on Bangor but that would be easy, she'd stayed here before.  
  
Everywhere was quiet. The air seemed to visibly crackle with electricity and a palpable tension. Jack looked from left to right as she began walking across the landing park towards the stairs. It was the same as it had been all that time ago, this strange atmosphere that almost seemed to hum. You couldn't explain it, it was just there. She walked down the steps and began to make her way down a barely populated street. The people didn't look you in the eyes; they just looked down at their feet as they walked. It didn't bother her; it made her life easier for a start. She looked ahead, her eyes cold, not looking at anyone as she walked. The aim was to be completely forgettable. No one must remember who you were, what you looked like or what you did. She was the master of it, slipping through the icy shadows and warm sunbelts of galaxies before people knew she was there in the first place.  
  
She turned left quickly, coming into a wide street that was even colder than the main one, shrouded in blue shadow. She reached a door and slapped the pad next to it, allowing herself entry to the building. Inside, there really was a steady throbbing hum. There were computers on every desk top, the screens flickering in the dim light. People of all different races sat in front of them silently, the clack of computer keys the only noise in the room except that hum. Jack smiled to herself, this was the place she'd come all that time ago with Riddick so that he could show her how to create aliases and all the essential things you'd need for an identity. It was also the first time Riddick had become aware of her computer skills.  
  
Jack walked over to where a small creature sat behind a desk. It was a Plecto, one of a race of creatures that had inhabited this planet before the humans. They could withstand astonishing temperature drops which were a winter occurrence in this part of the galaxy. It meant that this planet was deserted in winter, leaving the Plectos to enjoy their favourite season alone. They were quiet creatures, polite when they spoke, most having made an effort to learn English so that they could work and trade. It had a forehead that sloped back and it's skin was tinged strongly green like seaweed. Its eyes were rounded more than human eyes with thick black pupils. It was reading the computer screen in front of it, totally focused so that it didn't notice her in front of it. Jack tapped lightly on the desk and it looked up, not looking remotely surprised.  
  
"Yes?" it's voice had a bubbling quality to it almost like it was gargling the words  
  
"How much for a couple of hours computer time?" Jack asked, in her lowered voice  
  
"Twenty an hour" the creature replied, it's eyes searching her face  
  
"Can I pay at the end?"  
  
"Yes" the creature smiled suddenly, a smile that looked like it was sharing a joke with her "Jack"  
  
Jack looked at it for a second, a blank expression on her face, panic beginning to course through her veins under the surface. How the hell did it know who she was? Then she realised, it was the same creature who had been here all that time ago. It hadn't said so at the time but it was obvious at the expression on its face that it had recognised Riddick. It was only logical after the news broke who she had been. She allowed a tiny smile before moving over to a computer, feeling the creature's eyes on her as she did.  
  
It was disconcerting that someone knew who she was. But it appeared that this Plecto didn't have any intention of handing her in. If it did, it would have done so years ago. It seemed to like sharing the joke. Jack sat down in front of a computer, setting her bags down at her feet. With a pause to collect her thoughts, she lowered her fingers to the keys and began to type. She needed to concentrate and work hard on this, in case any of the authorities hackers were on-line just waiting for her to log in to snare her. She ploughed straight into the Idenitkit Programme that she and Riddick used. Riddick used to call it 'the lifesaver'; it had done so on more than one occasion. She created a new username for herself and her new identity, along with account. This was when she had to be careful, people could be online waiting to catch her. She quickly input all the details needed and inserted her card into the machine. It gave a tiny buzz before ejecting it. One identity created and sealed.  
  
Now she had to wipe her files. Not that that would help her much but there was a chance they might have missed something. Hesitantly she clicked into her old username and deleted everything. She felt a strange sense of loss as she watched it happen. She had spent years building this up, adding to every time she changed. There were identities she loved using which she could never use again. She had surrounded her database in as much security as possible and buried it deeply into the web. Still they'd found it. They'd found Riddick too.  
  
The screen went black, confirming the deletion of her files. With a shaky in-take of breath, Jack moved back into the web, ready to start her search for Riddick. First, she was going to find out as much information as she could about his capture; where it had happened, who had caught him, any possible leads as to the location of his slam. Anything would be helpful as it would lead to more searches and more chances for locating him.  
  
She began searching news archives and then the underground stations. There were snippets, just pieces about the fact that he was caught and listing his various crimes as well. Jack gritted her teeth; they made him sound like a complete psycho. Admittedly he had that side to him; she'd seen it on more than one occasion and knew not to question it. It was part of him and she accepted that.  
  
She continued trying to find anything useful. Then she had an idea. She could go through the Blues' files. It didn't even take a high level hacker to do that. She typed in a password and was immediately granted access.  
  
"Now we're cooking" she said to herself quietly, her mood lightening considerably.  
  
There was no one online in the Blues' database, giving Jack a lot more freedom. She began searching the convict files and pulled out Riddick's record but that just gave her information she already knew. Disheartened, she sighed, thinking carefully. Where would they keep info on his capture? With a shot of inspiration, she clicked on 'New Developments'. Sure enough, after scrolling down a lot, she found it. Her heart leapt, finally something useful! Breathlessly, she began reading it.  
  
'Richard B Riddick; known convict finally caught in the city Travers. Convict was inebriated and patrol were able to drug him sufficiently to knock him out. Currently in confinement awaiting death sentence. Patrols are currently looking for Riddick's companion and accomplice, known only as Jack B Badd. Badd has assisted in several of Riddick's killings and is wanted for murder on an individual basis also. Has so far evaded capture. Was last seen in Tri-Furor. Riddick has been in confinement for a month and has so far said nothing. In confinement, the only people who are allowed to enter this dangerous killer's cell are the patrol guarding him in case of escape and a Mercenary known as Farrell who helped in the convict's capture and is currently awaiting a reward. Farrell has claimed that he will bring in Badd and has expressed a wish to be present at the deaths'  
  
For a moment it felt as though she couldn't breathe, her mouth was dry and like sandpaper. Then she swallowed slowly. She carefully re-read the last few sentences. Yeah it definitely said what she thought it said. It really did say Farrell's name.  
  
"Oh fuck"  
  
*  
  
He was beginning to feel more than tired. He found himself drifting off more and more in the day then waking and having to remember to keep his eyes shut unless he wanted a ray of blinding light piercing his photosensitive eyes. He didn't remember what he dreamt. His dreams were long stretches of soulless night, filled only with comforting darkness which he could escape to. He didn't want to fall asleep; the Blues had come in more than once and had kicked him viciously hard to wake him up. He could hear their laughter. Worse he could feel it. He found himself gripping his chains tightly. His hands were itching to cut some throats but he'd have to wait. They'd taken his shiv away when he'd come in, searching his pockets meticulously. Luckily for him, he had a small one secured in his boot.  
  
One thought kept coming back to him as he waited in his cell. Jack. He could see her as she was sitting next to him as they flew over a meteor belt away from the planet, all huge trusting eyes and nerves. Then as she had grown up, year after year always changing. She had killed, he knew that. She hadn't told him but it was obvious from the way she took care of her shiv, carefully cleaning and sharpening it. Someone only did that when that shiv had saved their life. It had saved hers. He was proud of her, from what he had heard they were clean quick killings, precise to a point and she'd got away before anyone had seen her. Just like he'd taught her  
  
She occupied his thoughts a lot. She would be nearly at New Mecca now. He should be too. He had heard Farrell talking loudly about how much he was looking forward to bringing her in and killing her. Riddick knew the plan was to kill her in front of him before they killed him. He clenched his teeth onto the bit hard. He wanted to see her again sure but not like that. He didn't want a last goodbye. But there was nothing he could do about it in his current situation.  
  
It was all a waiting game. He had to be patient because at some point, Farrell or an unfortunate Blue were going to slip up and give him his chance to escape. If only his limbs would believe that. His arms were limply chained around a pole and his legs stretched out in front of him. He couldn't lift them. He didn't know what the Blues had been injecting into him but it was working far too well. But he could wait. He knew that his time would come soon. He just had to wait. He had all the time in the world. Until Farrell caught Jack. He frowned, ignoring the pain of the bit. He had to get his limbs moving again, to get out and do some killing. Before Farrell did it for him. 


	6. Don't Mess

Disclaimer: own nothing, no trademarks from the film 'Pitch Black'. But u guys knew that, right?  
  
Farrell. It had to be him, didn't it? Jack shook her head slowly as though trying to clear it. No one else would dare or be able to physically capture Riddick but him. No one knew Riddick's strategies and techniques and behaviour as well. Why hadn't she realised it? The story in front of her showed her the glaringly obvious facts; the fact that Farrell was smart enough not to take Riddick on face to face but wait until his prey was drunk enough not to notice something being slipped into his drink and then carry him away knocked out. It also meant that Farrell would be after her as well, he'd always said he'd wanted the pair of them in, he wouldn't settle for one. He was hard to elude, he knew how to track them, God knows he'd be doing it for long enough.  
  
Just as Jack was about to delete the page and begin searching for Riddick's location, the screen blanked and a message flashed up quickly onto the screen in liquid blue letters  
  
'Two doors down, ten minutes'  
  
Then it disappeared. She looked up slowly, the Plecto was watching her. It gave a tiny nod before continuing to work on the computer in front of it. Another message appeared on Jack's screen.  
  
'I will not hand you over'  
  
That had crossed her mind. People would do anything for credits, as Farrell well demonstrated. The man was obsessed, following them everywhere, even the false clues they left behind were followed up and checked out by him, just in case. It wasn't just the money, there was a hint of vendetta and personal pride at stake too but that could wait until later to explain.  
  
The message disappeared and then a new one appeared again.  
  
'Pay me the money and then move out, there are people here looking for you, Blues and web-lizards online'  
  
Jack narrowed her eyes, was it trying to scare her off? Make her go back to where she'd come from? Maybe he did work for the authorities after all and had been tracking her online since she and Riddick had first stepped into this building all that time ago. She looked up again and the Plecto stared right back. They flickered to one side, signalling to a man with his back to them. She could hear feverish typing coming from his direction and muttered phases too soft to be heard. The Plecto nodded and a new message appeared. She didn't even know he'd been typing  
  
'Blue, thinks he's a hacker'  
  
Jack grinned a little, a lot of Blues were under that illusion; that anyone could hack into the system and find what they were looking for. They were wrong; it took a lot of skill and patience, not some frazzled excuse for a human who was desperate to locate her. Logic overtook her then and she speedily logged out and shut herself out of the system, eradicating all traces of herself.  
  
Picking up her bags, she sauntered over to the desk and dropped her card onto it, pushing it forward with a fingernail to the Plecto. It looked at her inquiringly  
  
"Twenty for an hour on number 6" she said, in her lowered voice without a hint of a smile  
  
"Thank you ma'am" the Plecto gurgled, as though it hadn't even met her before  
  
It inserted the card into its computer and waited a few seconds as the machine hummed. Then it pulled it free and handed it back to Jack.  
  
"Transmission completed" it said  
  
"Thanks"  
  
Jack walked from the building. Once outside, she put everything down so that she could rearrange herself before going out onto the main street. She hid the card under her top, in her underwear. It was a habit she'd picked up over the years since no Merc or Blue came near enough to even begin searching her. There were times when she wouldn't have minded a certain someone conducting his own search but that never materialised. Other guys had had that honour.  
  
It was getting really cold now. She wrapped a large soft grey cloak around her shoulders and head, fumbling with its ends in an attempt to tie it. She cursed under her breath as the wind whipped the fabric from her hands.  
  
"Man a coat would be easier" she muttered as she finally tied it securely around herself  
  
She picked up her bags and began walking down the street to find the right place. Two doors down the Plecto had typed. He didn't say which direction so she'd have to guess. Down two doors the way she was going led her to a tiny com fix shop, open late especially. The light from it was a warm yellow, a sharp contrast to the icy blue that permanently shadowed the planet. Jack frowned, could this be the place? Shrugging, she pushed the door open and shuffled in.  
  
She didn't know places like this existed. Coms and old computers were stashed in every available space, like old hollow ghosts of the technological past. It was crowded, cramped and a haven for anyone with techie inclinations. A smile played on her lips as she took in everything in the shop, her eyes shining in wonder. Then a noise penetrated her haze. She looked across the room and saw another Plecto standing behind a counter, tinkering with a com, humming to itself quietly. It wore a dirty overall, splattered with grease and oil. It was like something out of the twentieth century, except that an alien had replaced a human.  
  
Jack walked up to the counter and cleared her throat. The Plecto looked up, its eyes widening. Jack knew what it would see; an angelic looking young woman, nearly frozen with cold. Hell she could have stepped out of the twentieth century, only a different era. She gave her most dazzling smile.  
  
"Can I help you?" the Plecto asked in bright gurgles  
  
"Do people meet here?" she asked, using a slight accent on her words  
  
"Meet here? Why yes!" the Plecto brightened at her words "it's a special feature of our shop, up the stairs you'll find a small room where people meet when they don't want anyone else to hear, very popular"  
  
"How much?"  
  
"Thirty for a half hour"  
  
Jack raised her eyebrow, that was a lot. But then it was privacy, something very rare in a machine-run place like Bangor. She nodded, handing her card over.  
  
"I'm supposed to be meeting a Plecto in about five minutes; I'll wait here for him to arrive"  
  
"Very good"  
  
Almost as if it had heard, the door swung open and the Plecto appeared. It hailed the Plecto behind the counter loudly in their language and Jack could only watch and listen as their incomprehensible bubbling words cascaded over her, leaving her mystified. Then the Plecto turned to her with a smile, it seemed to contort its face.  
  
"Shall we, my dear?" it gestured to the stairs  
  
Jack nodded and walked over to the stairs. The Plecto followed close behind her. She did a quick sweeping assessment of him. He had no visible weapons on him; mind you her weapons weren't visible. He wore a loose brown shirt and belted shorts that had probably been trousers until the legs were hacked off at the knees by the look of it. He was smiling, waiting patiently for her to continue up the stairs. He could knife her in the back, x her out in an instant with a phaser. She gave a frozen smile back at him. If he did, she'd sense his movement and strike back as instantly as she could. She'd have to take a chance. He knew who she was and what she was going through probably. Maybe he knew something to tell her. Either way, she'd take her chance now.  
  
Her decision made, Jack turned and began walking up the smooth metal steps, listening to the slapping noise her sandals made on the metal. At the top of the stairs, an open door revealed a small room. There was a large table there and enough chairs to seat a large group. A counter ran along one side of the room with endless glass cabinets behind it filled with glass bottles of liquids. Jack guessed they stocked any drink of every universe. The Plecto walked in ahead of her and gestured to the chairs. Jack inclined her head and sat down, carefully placing her bags near to her. The Plecto went to the counter, flipping up a section so he could get in and looked expectantly at her.  
  
"Cola 16" she said, thinking she might as well have her favourite when it was most likely available.  
  
The Plecto nodded and moved fluidly down the space until it stopped in front of a cabinet, pulled the door open and chose a bottle from it. Jack watched its movements. They were graceful and natural, almost those of a dancers with a practiced ease. She had little doubt that it could fight though. Plectos were known for being able to kick some ass when needed, always surprising their attackers with hard sweeping kicks and skilled shiv work. It came from cutting through the ice on this planet in the deepest winters they revelled in. Her hand automatically went to her hip where she could feel the blade of shiv pressing in secretly. It could have a shiv on it, several in fact hidden under its clothing. Forcing the thought away, she smiled her thanks when the Plecto put the bottle, the cap removed, in front of her. It held a glass tumbled of a clear green liquid in its own hands.  
  
Jack look a slung from the bottle before returning it to the table and wiping her wet lips clean with the back of her hand. The Plecto gave a ghost of a smile  
  
"You drink like a man" it said  
  
"I do a lot of things like a man, dress like one usually" she replied with a laugh "you should know that"  
  
"Though you are dressed very different now" it pointed out "are you enjoying behind a woman?"  
  
"No" Jack shot back "not in the least, it's pain in the ass, I can't move as well as normal, tomorrow I'm wearing pants"  
  
The Plecto laughed, it sounded like a waterfall. Then it drank from its own glass, giving a sigh as it put the glass down.  
  
"Are you wondering why I brought you here?" it asked  
  
"You know who I am" Jack stated "maybe you know something I don't, something that can help me" there was a heartbeat of silence then "or maybe you want to ghost me for a reward"  
  
"Others would want to" it agreed, it laid a long fine shiv on the table "I do not, I want to help"  
  
"Why?" Jack never took her eyes off the weapon as she spoke  
  
"You need it and I have information, I do not co-operate with the authorities, no one here on Bangor does, we try to stop them hacking into our mainframes and draining our sources dry but sometimes it cannot be helped" it took an angry breath, closing it's eyes to calm itself before it continued "either way, I am willing, if you can trust"  
  
Jack gave it a long look. She didn't even know its name but it had laid its cards on the table for her. Of course it could have another weapon, revealing just one to lull her into a false sense of security before it x- ed her out. You had to be careful with people with information, sometimes they lied, sometimes they didn't. Either way, they were dangerous. It knew something, she was sure of that. It had a quiet cool manner to it, an air of having been through this before, a persistence in continuing until its information was heard. She nodded, her interest was caught. She had to hear it now. Any information, however false, was information on Riddick.  
  
"Ok" the Plecto breathed out, sounding like air bubbles breaking the surface of water "I am Lando, I was there the night that you and Riddick came to Bangor, I recognised him, who wouldn't? he is everywhere and on everything imploring people to bring in criminals, the point is that I know now he has been caught by a mercenary am I right?"  
  
Jack nodded. He was down the line so far  
  
"The mercenary's name is Farrell, do you know him?"  
  
"Sure, we're old friends" Jack let a sarcastic tone overtake her voice "he's been tracking me and Riddick for years, partly for the money, partly for kicks, partly for revenge, he's always trying to shoot us, he got Riddick in the arm and me in the chest"  
  
She trailed off as she remembered the skin splitting pain of the bullet. He'd suddenly swung out in front of her on the streets as she ran and before she had time to dive, a searing pain had blasted through her. Riddick had picked her up easily, slung her over his shoulder and then shot at Farrell. If Riddick hadn't been there, she'd be in the morgue. Then there was the time Riddick had got the shot in the arm, he'd told her she'd have to get the bullets out for him. She'd been grossed out by the idea but had agreed, knowing how much it hurt. He'd sat on a table, bare from the waist up, his eyes never leaving her as she shakily began using the forceps. He never flinched once, it wasn't his style. He'd told he'd got through more pain than he ever though possible having the shine job done, a bullet to the arm was no problem. She'd been shaking though, afraid she'd do it wrong and his eyes were on her constantly, burning into her like a fire brand. It had been hard to concentrate but she'd done it before fleeing out of the room to pull herself together. She didn't want to admit what effect he had on her, so close, so bare. More than that, she'd suppressed these feelings forever. Now was not the time to start reawakening them. They belonged back on the Hunter-Gratzner with Fry, Johns and everyone else.  
  
Lando watched her in amusement, enjoying the emotions that skated across her face. She had no idea how open they were, how obvious the strength of her feelings were when she mentioned a certain name.  
  
"We shot him too" Jack continued "a couple of times in the leg were the worst, he couldn't walk for a while, kept him off our tracks for a long time"  
  
"Why not kill him?"  
  
"Now where would be the fun in that?" asked Jack with a flicker of a smile "besides the bastard won't die, no matter how many times we try, he fucking gets away"  
  
"So now he has Riddick?"  
  
"What's your info Lando?" Jack bluntly cut him off "I didn't come here to rehash past history, if you have information then tell me"  
  
"Blues are after you, they've been using the systems here for a long time, they've cut off all your old aliases"  
  
"Yeah I know, hence this new one"  
  
"I don't know where Riddick is Jack but I know this, Farrell wants to take you in and kill you himself in front of Riddick"  
  
"Tell me something I don't know" Jack cracked, thought the ferocious pain of hearing your death sentence hit her right in the gut "it's been his plan for years"  
  
"He's sending out as many Blues as he can to everywhere he can, he's searching literally everywhere and he will find you" Lando stated, staring at her "I can help you by closing off their hacking but it won't be enough, I'm assuming you want to save Riddick so you're going to have to do it soon and fast"  
  
"Any idea where he is?"  
  
The Plecto shook his head. Jack sighed, she knew it was a long shot but worth a try anyway  
  
"No, but I know he hasn't been in the colder Southern galaxies for a long time"  
  
"How?"  
  
"We do trade with all the Southern galaxies, being one of the coldest planets gives us a lot of trade during the winter, a close eye is kept out for known criminals entering our trade zones and we admire his work"  
  
"He ghosts people" Jack said flatly  
  
"So have you" replied Lando "and we haven't handed you in have we? We admire his persistence and his survival skills, something you need in this sector of the galaxy, no sightings of him have been spotted in the Southern galaxies for at least a year"  
  
"You're sure?"  
  
"Positive, he is distinctive, even in disguise" Lando smiled, it made it's face seem to change shape "he came back to see me several times after you and he first came here, he knew I'd recognised him and wanted to kill me, luckily for me, I convinced him not to"  
  
"How'd you do that?" Jack wondered, it was something she had yet to see  
  
"I told him I'd protect you when you came here and that I knew how to help wipe his records, I was a useful tool to him" Lando recalled  
  
Riddick's animal side could be terrifying. Jack wondered how Lando had coped when faced with it, wielding a shiv? Had he cowered behind his desk, begged for mercy, offering his skills? Or had he sat calm and collected, acting as though he was used to being threatened by a psycho on the run? She could imagine Riddick listening, deciding what was best to do. Then his animal side withdrawing and his shiv lowering but not his guard. The deal would appeal to Riddick; help with that side of things was always welcome when Jack wasn't around to clean up his records for him. She took a long drink from her bottle.  
  
"Thanks Lando" she said at last "It cuts my search down a lot, I still have a lot to do though so I'm going to go get a room for the night and some rest, is the small motel on the corner of this street still good?"  
  
"Yes, the Blues all stay in upstairs rooms of shops" Lando replied "they think people won't notice them there"  
  
"Like here?" Jack said, looking around  
  
"No, Leccy won't let them" Lando said "he likes to help people, not hide them"  
  
Jack nodded and got to her feet. As she did, Lando stuck his hand out to her. His fingers were amazingly long and thin, delicate and graceful. Jack looked at it for a second then at his face  
  
"This is how you humans part, with a handshake, is it not?" Lando asked  
  
Jack grinned suddenly and shook his hand. It felt like wet rubber, but not slimy, just smooth. Then she picked up her bags and went down the stairs. Leccy gave her a cheerful smile and handed her card back.  
  
"See you later my dear" he burbled  
  
"Bye"  
  
Jack involuntarily shuddered at the cold that gripped her outside. Muttering very unladylike curses under her breath, she shouldered her canvas pack and began trudging towards the motel.  
  
"I sure hope it has central heating" she said with gritted teeth  
  
*  
  
It did. At least enough to take the sharp edge off the steely coldness that covered everything in the motel, especially at night. She even managed to have a good night's sleep. Jack had got the room for a week provisionally and decided she'd think about any more time when she reached the final day. Right now, she had to go start searching the net for all the slams in the Northern galaxies which were likely to hold Riddick. She was pretty sure that Lando was on the level. He seemed genuinely amused by her and Riddick's exploits and how they'd managed to evade capture for so long. He didn't seem the type to do a double cross and hand her over. She might do a preliminary on the Southern galaxies just to check though.  
  
She pulled on a loose golden shirt with long sleeves and wide tight waisted bell bottomed grey pants. It was still very different to the figure hugging, stream lined stuff she favoured in her usual aliases but gave her more comfort and more movement if need be than the skirt did. Picking up all the equipment and essentials she needed for the day and then packing them into her canvas bag, she strolled out of the room and locked the door.  
  
Once outside, she couldn't help flinching at the cold. It still got to her, she wasn't used to the biting quality it had. Wrapping her arms around herself, she began walking down the near deserted street towards the computer place where Lando worked.  
  
Suddenly she halted. She could sense a presence, she wasn't sure what or who it was though. Unlike Riddick, she couldn't sniff the air and decipher who the person was as well as what they were wearing. She had to rely on her recognition of their presence, all the feelings, textures and smells that came with it. This one was sweaty, rapid heartbeat, trigger fingered. It was familiar but not someone she knew. Not just one either. Then she realised. It was a Blue and it was sneaking up on her with a gun.  
  
She hit the cold pavement immediately, ducking out of range just in time as shots peppered the air. She tossed her bag out of the way and flipped so that she was on her back. A figure loomed over her, gun pointing steadily at her heazd  
  
"Get up girl, we've got somewhere to go" a voice roughly commanded  
  
She didn't even have to think. She kicked high and fast, the gun flew through the air out of his hands. She kicked again, hitting his head solidly and taking him down. Scrabbling to her feet, she was immediately clubbed in the back by another Blue, one she hadn't counted on. She stumbled, pain beginning to grow in her back when he hit her again. She turned to confront him, only to meet a fist that awkwardly connected with her jaw. He wasn't used to fighting women. She fell to the pavement, momentarily dazed from the impact. Luckily she wasn't seeing stars yet. She swept the second one off his feet with her legs and jumped onto him, punching him hard in the face.  
  
"That's for the bruise I'm gonna get from your clumsy punch asshole" she seethed  
  
Arms wrapped around her and pulled off the Blue. The first one was awake from her kick. She threw her elbows back, connecting with his face, loosening his grip. She wrenched away, pulled her shiv out and slashed him across the chest. Dropping her weapon, she hit him with an uppercut, knocking him out. She could practically hear and see Riddick walking out of the shadows to inspect the scene, an amused smirk on his face  
  
"Should have shived them when they started" she could hear him say "playing with your prey takes too long"  
  
Ignoring him, she picked up the guns which had been dropped, emptied them of bullets and put the empty guns into her retrieved bag. She turned to the second Blue who lay groaning. He'd have the most answers. She crouched down beside him.  
  
"So whose idea was it to attack an innocent girl?" she asked  
  
"Like I'm gonna tell you" he sneered  
  
Jack sighed and retrieved her shiv from the pavement. She held it under his chin, cutting him enough to draw blood  
  
"You do know what I've done right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow "I mean, how I kill people who fuck with me? So why don't you tell me?"  
  
The Blues' eyes were wide and afraid though his mouth was still twisted into a sneer. She pressed harder.  
  
"Farrell" he spat out "he wants you alive so he can kill you"  
  
She slashed his throat anyway, just in case. He seemed the sort to kill as soon as her back was turned. The other one she'd only injured, maybe he'd leave an easy trail for her to follow back to slam? He'd probably stay on Bangor as long as she did, trailing her until he could bring her in. It meant one thing that was not good. Someone knew she was here and had seen through her disguise.  
  
*  
  
His world was a mess of bright sunlight and drowsy days. It wasn't like he could stop them from injecting him. At the beginning maybe but now there was no chance. Farrell he could hear talking near him often, laughing at the state he'd got Richard B Riddick into. Well when Richard B Riddick figured out how to slit some throats in this state, Farrell would be the first one to draw blood. Farrell was excited and smug, someone had seen Jack on Bangor, very well disguised apparently, all long blonde hair and long skirts. That couldn't be true, she was on New Mecca.  
  
But Jack never followed the rules, why should this be different. Fuck! Riddick slammed a foot weakly against the ground. Of course she was looking for him. Of course she was fucking playing with death again. He'd taught her that way. He grinned slightly, the bit pressed against his dry lips. If Jack managed to slip through and get him out, it was going to be a lot of fun. A little reunion killing spree. That was just what he needed. His therapy in good company  
  
If she got killed by a Blue or by Farrell, in front of him or out on the streets, then that would be worse. Riddick had plans for those who killed those close to him. They involved a shiv, a lot of torture and pain and lot of fun. If they killed Jack, then he'd go on a killing spree. And never stop until every person who'd had some part in hurting her was lying in their own blood. Now that would be fun. But he'd have to wait and see. Maybe Jack would come get him, maybe she wouldn't. Either way, someone was gonna get killed. 


	7. Moving On

Disclaimer: own nothing, u know it so don't sue  
  
As she stared at the corpse on one side of her and the breathing body on the other, Jack could again clearly see Riddick step out of the shadows to talk to her out of her subconscious. He inspected the bodies, a blood stained shiv in one hand. He nodded to her  
  
"Don't know why you don't kill the other one, while he's still breathing there's a still a chance you'll be killed" she could hear him speaking  
  
"He's too incompetent to be any challenge" she replied  
  
"He's still breathing and he nearly shot you in the back" replied Riddick in her mind  
  
She could almost feel his breath on her neck as he walked behind her, hear his breathing and see his sudden smile. The hairs on the back of neck went up. As she turned to face him, he disappeared, leaving an imprint burning on her memory that wouldn't disappear. A smile grew on her face, he would always remain that way in her mind; cocky, blood-minded with a strong sexual presence. Jack shook her head; did she really think that last part? It must have been a slip of the mind.  
  
She pulled a piece of cloth from her bag and carefully, lovingly cleaned off her shiv so that it was shining again with no trace of blood. She strapped it back onto her waist pouch and threw the cloth into her bag. She was fresh out of ideas now, Lando might have some. Composing herself and picking up her bags, Jack made her way to the computer room she'd been heading for before the attack, leaving the bodies behind. She knew that the Plectos would not be startled to find them. They'd merely tidy them away somewhere and then go on with life. Nothing broke through them passive façade it seemed.  
  
She pushed open the door and stumbled in, the wind pushing her through. Lando looked up, showing no emotion or recognition. She nodded to him courteously and then made her way over to a computer, a blank composed expression on her face. When she reached an empty console, she quickly logged in and began surfing for any clues to Riddick's location. Within minutes, a message appeared on her screen  
  
'What is wrong?'  
  
Lando had been able to read her easily; her clumsy entrance into the building had given away her frazzled thoughts. She turned the message into a reply  
  
"They know, they tried to take me'  
  
She continued surfing, waiting for a reply. Soon enough, one appeared  
  
'Where are the bodies?'  
  
Jack smiled to herself, Lando evidently had read up on her penchant for killing. He knew what she could do from what she'd said last night and from the reports he'd read probably.  
  
'In the street, one dead, one not'  
  
'Farrell?'  
  
'Yes, they've seen through me'  
  
'You need to go'  
  
'Where? I don't know where he is'  
  
There was a pause. Lando had no answers for that. Jack sighed and continued searching through the galaxy maps online for any sign of likely looking slams. She'd checked the Southern Galaxy slams and Lando had been right, hardly any new inmates over the past few months and none as soon as a couple of weeks ago. He had to be in the hot Northern Galaxies. Jack shook her head; the Northern Galaxies were enormous and hard to search through due to the sheer mass of planets. It would take forever this way, even online as the smaller and more obscure the slam, the more complex the process of finding it was. She didn't have forever; she probably barely had a month. Another message popped up  
  
'Have you ever tried net running?'  
  
Jack paused, her fingers over the keyboard. Net running. Physically attaching yourself to a computer through a wire in your hand or head and then literally going into the computer to find that piece of information you want. It was highly illegal but like that mattered. She'd never net run before because the people who dealt with it were highly suspect, their equipment often shorted meaning people came out of it with brain damage or worse. You had to find a good dealer otherwise it was too dangerous  
  
'No I haven't, do you know a good dealer?'  
  
'I think so, one that has come recommended to me'  
  
'You've never net run?'  
  
'Never needed to'  
  
'Where is the dealer located?'  
  
'Sunscorch'  
  
A space station in one of the Northern galaxies. It was so called because of the temperatures it could reach sometimes, literally scorching the metal of the station. It was about three day's flight from Bangor. Jack had never been there before, she'd never needed to. The place was basically a high class flying hotel with all the tacky additions you'd expect. It was the best place to go for anything remotely illegal. Dealers of all kinds were drawn there by the tourists.  
  
Jack logged out, got up and made her way over to the counter where Lando sat. She handed him her card without a hint of a smile  
  
"An hour and a half on three" she said  
  
"Thank you ma'am"  
  
Lando buzzed her card in his machine and then handed it to her mechanically. She walked out carrying her bags. Her head was full of the details she needed to get sorted before she left. There was plenty to sort out. One was a new identity but that was the fun part though it had to be done well to be convincing.  
  
As she began walking down the street again, she felt Lando's presence behind her. It was a calming presence like a waterfall, full of blues and greens. She turned expectantly. He hurried to her, not out of breath.  
  
"I have to say goodbye" he said "the dealer you want is called Rasputin"  
  
"Isn't that from an old book?" Jack asked, something in her memory stirred  
  
"He likes to think it makes him classical and mysterious" answered Lando with a hint of that face-changing smile "he may be sly but his equipment is the best I know of, it's the safest way for you to net run without getting hurt"  
  
"Thank you Lando"  
  
The Plecto nodded, holding out his hand again for a handshake. Jack shook it solemnly.  
  
"If I need some technical help to shut down the security system, then can I contact you?" she asked  
  
"Of course, my net number is LANDO0030" he replied "enter it when looking for me online and I should appear, I'm on-duty for many hours every day"  
  
Jack nodded and turned. She walked up the cold street. After one attack, she did not want to suffer another. She had to get to The Serenity and start a course for Sunscorch. She was getting closer to Riddick and soon, she'd get him out. No matter how many tried to stop her.  
  
*  
  
It made him smile to hear Farrell so mad. He wasn't just mad; he was furious and had been yelling at some Blue for almost an hour. Riddick had been ignored for most of it, sitting quietly in the fading sunlight, his eyes peacefully shut. He wasn't feeling as drained and feeble as usual. They'd been lessening his drug injections so that when they caught Jack he'd be awake enough to fully be aware of her suffering. The feeling was coming back into his legs, he could move them now without feeling frustrated at their lack of movement. His hands which he couldn't see since they were chained around a pole behind him were able to move as well. It was promising. Only problem was that they still kept the sunlight on him. They knew the power it held over him and as a result he still felt weakened by it.  
  
Jack had escaped. She'd killed one of the Blues who'd been trailing her since Tri-Furor. Slashed his throat. Riddick was proud of her. No body had been found and the other Blue had been injured badly. Perhaps Lando had been more use than Riddick had originally thought? It seemed Jack was determined to find where he was and rescue him. She'd evidently improved over the past year in her shiv work. She was a slippery shadow, difficult to grip. Riddick smiled at a sudden wicked thought that crossed his mind.  
  
Suddenly he was kicked hard. He could smell Farrell in front of him. What the fuck was wrong with him? He soon found out  
  
"Think its funny do you? You're little bitch getting away and killing someone? Bet you're real proud of her" Farrell seethed with barely controlled anger  
  
Sure he was. Who wouldn't be? She was doing exactly what she'd been taught and done it well. Farrell had no idea; he thought she'd be easy pickings without Riddick at her side. He was wrong.  
  
"Well when she's brought in, I'm gonna do more than kill her big man, I may have to pleasure myself first, then we'll see if you're smiling"  
  
Farrell shouldn't have said that. With a sudden movement, Riddick swept Farrell off his feet using his legs and struck him hard across the head with his feet. His anger got the better of him. He had to see what Farrell looked like; helpless and hurt on the floor. For a brief second, Riddick opened his eyes.  
  
The light pierced them, sending sharp pain straight through his head. He shut them almost as quickly. He'd seen a dark smeared shape on the floor, groaning. Riddick smiled. He may have been tied up with a bit in his mouth like an animal but he could see send a message home if he needed to. It was a pity he couldn't reach the shiv in his boot. Then he could have some fun with Farrell that would make up for it all.  
  
There were hurried footsteps. He could hear Farrell telling the Blues what happened in a furious voice. Then Farrell left, or maybe some people carried him out. Whatever. The beatings began again then, harder this time. It was embarrassing. Riddick could have gutted them all without much effort normally but like this? He couldn't even defend himself properly. They knew how easy it would be for him normally so now they took advantage and continued to beat him. It had been this way since he'd been dragged in two weeks ago but now it was harsher than usual. He tried to protect himself as best he could. Then mercifully, he was injected with something and the comforting cooling darkness swept over him. They were getting desperate, he thought as he began to slip into unconsciousness, and soon they'd be making mistakes, sloppy mistakes that he could use to get out of slam and find Jack. Before she found him. Life always was a competition, Riddick smiled to himself. One he was destined to win. 


	8. Mmmmm, That Thought

Disclaimer: own nothing, sorry  
  
The Sunscorch loomed into vision like an independent planet. Jack had to peer closely at it through the viewing scope several times to be sure that it was the station and not just her eyes and new contact lenses playing tricks on her. She nodded, flooded with relief and expectancy. It was the station; bronzed and ring-shaped, floating in space like a peace of debris.  
  
She'd been travelling for just a few hours and was now charged with excitement. This was her clearest and most hopeful link to finding Riddick. Net-running was dangerous but what wasn't that did? Her whole existence as a survivor was a game of cat and mouse with the Blues and Mercs and full of every imaginable danger. This was nothing new though admittedly slightly more worrying considering her brains and all the precious information she'd stored up could be fried. Not a pleasant thought. Jack shook her head and stared at her reflection in the glass. Her appearance had changed again on Bangor before she'd left it behind. Her hair was still long but had been dyed a deep red chestnut and was plaited and coiled high on her head. Although it was long, at least it was now out of her way. Her eyes had become a bright leaf green and her complexion had been tinted to a sun- kissed tan. She wore a long fitted green dress laced up the front that fell to her ankles. It was the most regal costume Jack had ever used for a disguise and dove into a completely different direction again, hopefully one the Blues and Mercs wouldn't guess or recognise. Her eyes still had that hard steely quality to them. No contacts could soften or change them. She remembered with a jolt when she'd asked Riddick seriously one day where she could get a shine job. He'd look sharply at her  
  
"You want these?" He'd pointed at his glowering pupils, she'd nodded determinedly "You think it'll help you survive? Your eyes work just as good as mine but I need someone who can see in the light without squinting or goggles, you're that person"  
  
"Ooooh come on Riddick, I really want it done"  
  
"Not while I'm around kid or I'll find the fucking idiot who performed the operation and make sure he never sees again, shine job or not, you got me?"  
  
She'd sighed and nodded, knowing it was his last word on the subject. She did like her eyes the way they were, maybe Riddick had a point. But she wasn't gonna tell him that. He didn't need to be told anyway. The smirk on his face told her that he'd seen her grudging expression and was perfectly happy that he'd won the argument. He always was  
  
There was a bleep from the controls letting her know that someone was hailing her from the station. Jack flicked a switch and waited patiently for the static to clear as she steered the ship closer.  
  
"This is the Sunscorch please state your name and business"  
  
"Janette Walker hailing from 'The Serenity', on market business, time on the station approximately four hours" she stated crisply  
  
"Thank you. Please proceed for the landing dock. Have a nice stay"  
  
Silence. Jack flicked the switch again and focused all her attention flying the ship into the neat narrow opening that had opened as she'd been speaking. This was one of the reasons she loved flying; the constant challenges that were thrown her way. With a tight smile, she concentrated and smoothly flew the ship into the station. She had a few moments to accustom herself to the noisy full darkness before the door was opened from the outside and an attendant in pale grey appeared.  
  
"Hello there m'am" he bowed quickly "does your ship need servicing at all?"  
  
"No thank you, just make sure its parked correctly" Jack replied, handing him a small key  
  
"Yes m'am"  
  
Jack awkwardly got to her feet and walked out of the ship. She had to look convincingly elegant without looking like she was trying. That was the secret of the upper classes she'd stolen from; they looked like they belonged where they were. She'd watched enough crowds to get the basics right but she knew she'd have to act aloof not to look out of place.  
  
Ships lined the space she stepped out into and grey-clothed attendants peppered the darkness, talking with other passengers or working on and parking ships. Jack blew out of her breath through her teeth. The proper Jack part of her was amazed at the wealth displayed and how many opportunities she saw for making money. But she had to stop thinking that way or Mercs and Blues would be on her case quicker than she could escape. She could see Mercs too; disguised as passengers or attendants but watching and searching with their eyes for anything that warranted a quick shot with a gun and a hefty reward. One was looking at Jack carefully. He had startling blonde hair and piercing clear blue eyes. He immediately transported Jack back to the Hunter-Gratzner and to another Merc who'd almost cost her her life.  
  
Johns had been there to guard Riddick. He wore a Blues uniform but had been hunting Riddick for years as a Merc and was taking him back to slam for a full reward. He also had a substantial drug addiction, a desire to be in charge and an idea to kill Jack so that the flesh-eating aliens would be occupied with her leaving him (and Riddick) time to escape. Luckily for Jack, Riddick had had enough of Johns and the two fought weapon to weapon by errie light until Johns was slashed across the chest, shakily trying to reload his gun while Riddick melted away into the darkness leaving Johns for alien food.  
  
Jack blinked the memories away as she gave a sweeping bored look of a noble woman to the intent Merc. She moved on, picking out more of the Mercs with her eyes, mentally noting their names so that she could remember who to talk with or not later that day. She had to get inside as soon as possible. With her small bag clutched tight in her hands, turned inside out to change its appearance from raggy to respectable, she walked up a long smooth ramp into the station. Two attendants guarded the doors at the end of a corridor and as she approached them, one bowed and then respectfully asked for some ID. Jack smiled and pulled the correct card from her bag to show him. Having briefly examined it, the attendant handed it back, tugged at his cap and smiled her through  
  
As soon as she got through the doors, Jack's serene smile dropped to a baneful grimace. She hated having to behave so perfectly. It uncomfortably reminded her of her mother and her constant quest for perfection in her daughter's behaviour. Wearing the dress increased this feeling. Her mother wouldn't even recognise her in it; she looked so different and unusually attractive for tomboyish Jack. Since no one was in the wide hall and there were no cameras around, Jack was able to drop the act for a few precious moments.  
  
"This had better only take a few hours" she sighed to herself  
  
She crossed the hall to look at a map fixed onto the wall. It was detailed and intricate, colourful in its depiction of the station and gave her all the information she needed to get around.  
  
"You're coming with me baby," she said under her breath  
  
She quickly pulled her com out of her bag and held it like a camera with the screen facing the map, taking a flash-less photo of it. On her screen, a scaled down version of the map materialised which she saved hurriedly. That would mean she couldn't get lost or look like she didn't belong. As she dropped the com back into her bag, slight footsteps reached her ears. Composing herself instantly, Jack turned to the map with a flawless look of fascination on her well accented features. One of the doors opened to reveal an attendant. Jack's hand automatically went to her hip, appearing to be a shift of posture but in reality checking that her shiv was still where she needed it; cloaked but ready. It was. She didn't let her eyes with their look of concentration leave the map. The attendant stopped behind her.  
  
"Anything I can help you with ma'am?" he asked eagerly  
  
Jack turned with a mild look of surprise on her face at his voice which she morphed into a pleasant smile.  
  
"Oh no thank you, I was just looking at this fascinating outline of the station, I had no idea it was so big!" she exclaimed breezily, one hand gesturing to the map  
  
"Its one of the biggest in the Northern galaxies ma'am" the attendant replied with more than just a hint of pride in his words "is there anything you'd like to know about it?"  
  
"Umm.let me think" Jack raised one of her hand to tap her chin thoughtfully "I don't think so, thank you"  
  
As the attendant turned to go, she suddenly grabbed his arm with a look of sudden girlish panic  
  
"There is one thing, you don't keep criminals on this ship do you?" she asked fearfully, allowing a visible shiver to course through her "only they make me so nervous, whether they guarded or not"  
  
"Not often ma'am" the attendant reassured her "I could describe a few of the market people as criminals but that's strictly off the record"  
  
Jack laughed, a hand over her mouth and a delighted smile on her face. The attendant laughed with her, her eyes briefly roaming her body and cleavage for as long as he could before she pretended to suddenly notice. Jack tried not to roll her eyes at his unprofessional and obvious leeching.  
  
"I think I can handle a few market people, I do buy for business, they'll be in trouble if they try to swindle me," she said with laughter still in her voice  
  
"Right you are ma'am, is that all?"  
  
"Yes thank you, you've been most helpful"  
  
Jack turned back to the map in an obvious show of dismissal. The attendant understood immediately and clicked his heels, wishing her good day and walked off smartly. As soon as his footsteps disappeared from her range, Jack hurriedly walked to the opposite doors and walked through into the main areas of the station. A menagerie of sound assaulted her. She'd reached the market. Now it was just a case of finding this Rasputin Lando had described and avoiding getting killed, kidnapped, pick-pocketed or found out.  
  
"Easy for some" she thought, thinking of Riddick  
  
The whole area was sectioned into little metal huts with corridors leading off into different rooms with signs in several different galaxy languages describing what each room sold. Her eyes keenly searched the room, keeping a look of mild overwelment on her face as she did. It fitted exactly the way she was feeling right now inside anyway. She needed a room for technology and com parts she guessed though it would look suspicious if a woman of her supposed stature walked into the grubbiest and grungiest part of the station especially if she walked off with one of the market people themselves. She'd have to circulate first and buy some appropriately frivolous items.  
  
"What does an upper class ditzy bitch buy herself?" Jack wondered silently "if only Riddick could see me now"  
  
What would Riddick think if he saw her now? The thought circled in her head as she breezed through the rooms. He'd be surprised probably but would only show it in a raised eyebrow probably and tease her endlessly about wearing a dress and having long hair, not to mention the well-applied make up she was wearing. It had been disturbing to realise that she hadn't forgotten what her mother had drummed into her. How to apply make up properly, how to bring out in the best in her features, how to carry herself like a young lady. Jack hated to admit it was turning out to be useful for the first time in her life but it was. Thank God her mother wasn't present to witness her daughter's grudging realisation. She'd be crowing for months, years even. The bitch probably wouldn't even fucking notice, probably criticise Jack's posture or choice of dress.  
  
Jack halted in front of the clothing room. This was the section her character Janette would spend hours in. She could tell by the price labels on the displays and the other women fawning over the garments in the room. Jack gritted her teeth; it was going to be hard to keep her perfect smile in place with rich bitch Barbie dolls for company. Ah well. She began looking through the huts with feigned excitement and delight that was mirrored on the room occupants' faces. She'd have to buy something she realised. It would be good to replenish her supply of outfits though, she was running out of new ones and would have to start unruly mix and matching that would raise suspicion with their bizarreness. It could be a positive if she went about it the right way. She could have a tomboyish little sister to buy for, called Jacqueline she decided. Perfect  
  
"Can I help you ma'am?" an assistant chirped up as Jack approached the nearest hut  
  
"I'm looking to buy some clothes for myself and several of my relatives" Jack explained with the same air she'd created when talking to the attendant in the hall "could you help me?"  
  
The assistant showed her the stock she had in for the day and also what could be ordered. Jack quickly picked out more dresses like the one she was wearing and floaty tops, skirts and boots. After paying using her newest card, she moved around the area. She bought clothes for her younger sister Jacqueline; vests, shirts, cargo pants that she sneered at in unison with the assistant selling them to her  
  
"Olive green, why the girl likes it I'll never know" she sighed, buying several more pairs  
  
After buying for her tomboy side, she decided to buy a few sexy pieces for who knew what occasion? She looked into the mirror wearing a simple stretchy black dress that fell to just above her knees and hugged every curve. It was sleeveless and reached right up to her neck, made of ever so slightly transparent material giving the impression of being see-through but revealing nothing. She'd decided that when she wore it, she'd create a rip over her cleavage for effect. She grinned at the thought. What would Riddick think if she wore that?  
  
As she paid for her last purchase and walked around the market, she thought hard about the question. What would Riddick think? More importantly, what did she want him to think when she wore it? The thought and the feeling that came with it had been plaguing her a lot recently. She'd always told herself that after her little-girl-loves-her-rescuer crush on that planet had slowly worn off; she wouldn't fall into that trap. She'd just be Jack, his friend, his sidekick and nothing else. But now he was away from her, it was hard keeping her feelings completely under wraps. True she was away from him a lot but then he'd been free to contact her and find her. Now he couldn't. Maybe there was no harm in thinking about, even cultivating those aroused feelings that had been coming to life for a while now. She smiled secretly to herself. Maybe there was no problem thinking about him in that way in her mind and there were plenty of ways she could think about him if she wanted to. Dirty dreams were a great way to get through his absence. Riddick had always joked that she had a dirty mind and now she could turn it against him. Only he couldn't know. Otherwise who knew how he'd use it against her.  
  
A presence hit her. It made her stop dead in her tracks with its strength and uniqueness. It was dirty and soiled, it made her think of packed streets full of pickpockets waiting to strike and the smell of thick brown earth. She turned and found a hut assistant looking intently at her. She smiled back and walked towards him. It was a technology hut; full of the kind of appliances that Leccy the Plecto back on Bangor had stuffed in his shop. She smiled; this was the surroundings that she felt comfortable in. The assistant hadn't taken his eyes off her. She looked at him carefully. He had long stringy brown hair which was pulled back into a ponytail down his back, dark dirty leather overalls full of tools and some sort of raggy shirt and equally ripped pants. His eyes were like her own; that steely quality in them that could never be erased. You just had to know what to look for. He'd spotted it in her too. She had a strong suspicion that this was Rasputin. The hut had no one else browsing at it and no one else serving from it. It was just him and her. She could chance conversation.  
  
"Hello Rasputin" she said softly, a hand on the counter "do you net-run?"  
  
If he was surprised, he didn't show it. He paused, continuing to stare at her before he began speaking. His voice was a sort of clear gentle hiss with enough menace behind his words to warrant alarm. Jack wasn't phased by it though. She'd lived with Richard B Riddick and had learnt to love him  
  
"I do indeed, does the pretty lady want to have a go?" it was a challenge. Jack smiled, raising an eyebrow. She lived for these moments  
  
"Sure. The lady does"  
  
She put her card down on the counter and pushed it towards him with a finger.  
  
"I need to find someone. I can do it the same way I found you if I can net- run"  
  
There was another pause as again he drank her in, a hand stroking his chin thoughtfully. Finally he took the card.  
  
"You've never done it before" it was a statement "you know what happens if it goes wrong? It fries your brains and you can never go back on that"  
  
"I think I can handle that"  
  
Rasputin nodded and then emerged from the hut revealing a long lithe figure ending in ugly dark brown combat boots.  
  
"If you've got the money on this card, then we're on"  
  
*  
  
He could feel the blood dripping from a corner of his mouth. As he tasted it, a faint memory surfaced in his mind. Coppery. It tasted the same way he'd described it to Carolyn when he'd been tied down in the broken ship. Some things never changed.  
  
He'd woken a few hours ago to find that the Blues had changed his position. He was in the darkest corner of the room, which allowed him to open his eyes without pain. His arms were now tied together at his wrists high above his head to a thick iron loop and his legs tied at his ankles stretched out in front of him in an identical way. There was no bit in his mouth, which felt like he'd been set free a bit. He'd been taut with tension for a while, sure they were going to pull another attack since allowing him the chance to see. But he knew why they'd done it when a Blue came in with his food and spoke to him  
  
"Bet you think you're clever big man, well you're not, that bitch of yours is gonna be brought in any day now" Riddick could feel the Blue's breath on his face, seeing his intense eyes in front of him, he listened "and we're only keeping you alive to watch her die right in front of you, breath by breath, who knows what we'll do to her?"  
  
What would they do to her? Riddick had been thinking about it. Jack could handle pretty much anything he knew of. She'd been through several hells and back, just like him. In the pit of his stomach, he knew they were going to try and rape her in front of him. It was a thought that kept bouncing back to him no matter how many times he pushed it away. It was a thought that nearly got him trying to break out of his ties and start killing. But how would that help? They do it anyway after they killed him. Why was the thought plaguing him so much? He'd killed women before; he fucked them before when they were alive. Sometimes killing them afterwards. Was it because he was protective of Jack? He smiled to himself. It was easier without a bit in his mouth. His tongue slid out and licked the blood from his mouth, a cut just above it dripping onto his lips. Thoughts were skidding across his mind and he wasn't going to stop them. Fucking Jack. Sure he'd thought about it before. She was female and attractive enough. She was kinda young but that hadn't stopped him before with other girls. She was always joking with him about her dirty mind and saying she thought about him late at night. Was there any truth to that? He hoped maybe there was. Then he could tease her about it; there was nothing Riddick liked more than teasing Jack. Wait, maybe there was something Riddick could do to Jack that he liked more.  
  
That was a thought to keep him going until he saw her again. He just hoped she'd be alive when he did. There were quite a few things he wanted to try out. 


	9. Got HimHer

Disclaimer: own nothing  
  
They reached a small room without incident. In fact there was hardly any words spoken between the two of them as they walked; Jack in front and Rasputin slightly behind so that it looked less suspicious with him softly telling her where to turn. His presence was so strong behind her; it was hard not to look back at him. It seemed that criminals were the ones with strong presences; Riddick's was the most distinct and strong in her mind. Probably for all the wrong reasons. Shit, she always did go for the bad guys. Why change now?  
  
"The next door on the right"  
  
His voice still had that trace of hissing menace in it. It sounded like a snake about to strike. Never a good thing for anyone. But Jack knew that criminals were overruled by money, it was what they needed to survive. They could make money stretch in ways other people could only dream of. That's why he wouldn't kill her. At least not yet and even if he tried, he was gonna get a nasty surprise. She smiled to herself as her hand automatically drifted to her hip where she could feel the blade pressing against her skin.  
  
Inside the room, there was darkness. Jack's senses were immediately awakened and she dropped down into a defensive stance. Something was about to happen. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end. With a click, the lights came on and Jack could see Rasputin carefully setting up a metal contraption. Slowly, she drew herself up into her character's regal posture. Maybe Rasputin did it to test her or maybe just for his own amusement. Either way, he showed no signs of having seen her change stance as he focused everything on setting up the machine. Jack scrutinised it from over his shoulder. There was a computer starting up, buzzing softly and several leads and wires sprouting from the back of its control box. She knew it would involve some pain, she was ready for that. Knowing that she couldn't do anything to help, she sat down on a wheeled chair, observing his word. His fingers worked deftly, plugging in leads, rewiring parts then flicking switches. The stench of an old cigarette penetrated everything. Jack hadn't even noticed when he'd lit up but there it was, clamped between his teeth as he worked.  
  
Suddenly he turned on his heel and gestured to the machinery with an ironic flourish.  
  
"Your carriage awaits ma'am" his voice was deceptively trustful  
  
"So how does this work exactly?" Jack asked, trying not sound the slightest bit nervous  
  
"You plug it in" Rasputin picked up a piece of lead and held it to the back of his hand and then the back of his neck before giving a wolf-like grin "and then I'll turn you on"  
  
"Careful Rasptuin, I'm not an ordinary princess" steel threaded through Jack's words "I can do things you can only dream of"  
  
"As your little fighting stance in the dark demonstrated"  
  
Jack looked at him closely  
  
"You have no shine job, how could you see?" she said at last  
  
"Oh there are many ways"  
  
Jack's expression remained blank as she thought about it. It was possible he could simply see in the dark or from the light of the door had picked up her sudden movement. Either way, it was unnerving.  
  
"I need this done as soon as possible" she said after a charged pause  
  
"As the princess wishes"  
  
Jack rose from her chair and sat down behind the computer. Rasputin began typing commands on the keyboard, his face concentrated. He was serious now, working for money. Jack knew a web-lizard when she saw one and Rasputin definitely fitted her thoughts. He knew computers well, that at least was reassuring. Then he picked up a small wire and walked to her side  
  
"You'll have about ten minutes inside before the Blues pick up an energy source beginning used illegally and come to investigate so be quick ok?"  
  
Jack nodded and looked away as he picked up a sharp clean-looking knife.  
  
"Do you want anything to dull the pain?" he asked, a hint of mocking to his words  
  
"Just do it" she commanded  
  
The pain was hot like liquid fire shooting through her hand as the wire slid under her skin. She closed her eyes and focused. She could hear Rasputin moving about, clicking keys and then his voice  
  
"I'm gonna put you through, good luck"  
  
She nodded once. She didn't know what to expect. Riddick had always told her to experience everything once then you knew what to avoid in life and what to grab hold of. Hmmm, maybe that would justify getting down and dirty with him? She smiled at the thought. She knew he wouldn't have any objections. Sex was sex wasn't it?  
  
There was a rush of light and then she could see everything. Lights, numbers and great stretches of tranquil darkness. She was inside. Part of her wanted to explore, looking at everything she could. Find new security crackers and disguises. Then her survivor sense kicked in and she focused. She had to look for Riddick's presence. He'd often asked what his presence was to her, knowing her skill. She'd refused to tell him. It would only pump up his enormous ego more than necessary.  
  
There was a trace of it. She plunged in deeper, causing a spasm to shake her physical body as she did so. She was in the Northern Galaxies now. Looking, searching. There it was again. So tangible to her. She groped for it. She had it, clasped between her hands like a rope she pulled herself along to where the source of it was. It was somewhere hot, scorchingly so. The perfect place to put a psycho with a preference to cooling darkness. A tiny planet. She looked for the name. Pixal. She thrust further forward, hungry for a glimpse of him. She could see the slam. Huge and brim-full of the most dangerous. She rushed through the corridors. Then WAM! She found his door. She slid in under the door and there he was. Trussed by and beaten down. Blood dried on his skin in various places and scars that would heal with time. There were drugs in his veins but they were lessening, being reduced. She looked at him, aching to be able to touch him. It was impossible.  
  
She had to go. She'd been too long already. With a last look, she shunted backwards and found herself outside the Northern galaxies. Then further back. It was like surfacing in a swimming pool. She gasped for air and suddenly her eyes snapped open.  
  
"I've got him" she said  
  
Rasputin went to say something in return when there was an almighty SLAM! The door caved in and Blues marched inside. Rasputin turned to her with an awkward grin  
  
"They got us"  
  
*  
  
Jack. Riddick's head shot up from where his chin had been touching his chest, deep in thought. For a moment, he would have almost sworn she'd been there with him. He could smell her; that irreplaceable Jack scent that guided him to her the first time on the planet when he'd identified her as female. Now he knew it better, he knew it was her. She knew presences, it was some sort of skill she'd picked up so could now tell when anyone was remotely near her and remembered everyone's presence. She wouldn't tell him what his presence was. He'd have to coax it out of her. He was looking forward to it already.  
  
How did he smell her when she wasn't here? She was trying to find him. That he guessed from her presence on Bangor. Something very strange had happened. Not that that surprised Riddick. Something very strange was always going on when he was present. He grinned slyly to himself; he was usually the cause of it.  
  
Farrell was as furious as ever. He'd made sure that Riddick got beaten at regular interval every day. Since he wasn't keeping his prisoner so drugged and groggy more, he seemed to think violence was the way to keep him in line. What Farrell didn't know was that Riddick was keeping score and when he got out, he was gonna keep on hitting Farrell until he got tired and that would be a very long time. Farrell still hinted that they knew where Jack was and that soon she'd be brought into Riddick's cell and he'd have his goggles forced on so that he could witness her death. Riddick felt cold hard fury at that. No one was going to kill Jack. She'd kill them.  
  
He'd been having thoughts. Not dreams, Riddick wasn't capable of them. Nightmares maybe but not dreams. These thoughts were full of Jack's smell and were full of her too. He could see her in his thoughts, he could touch her, he could taste her, he could do a lot more. He was trying hard to make it not look like anything was happening but it was getting difficult when he was getting hard. Especially when his hands were tied above his head and he couldn't do any re-adjustment. Life was a bitch sometimes.  
  
Farrell had been talking to him a minute ago but had been rushed out of the room for an urgent phone call. Something about Jack. Riddick wasn't sure what it was all about but he knew it couldn't be good. He could make out Farrell's outline coming towards him, along the corridor. He tried not to tense up just remain calm and appear indifferent. Farrell stepped inside of his cell. Riddick could sense a smirk Then Farrell spoke  
  
"You're not gonna be alone no more Riddick, you're gonna have a new cell mate" there was a chilly practiced pause then "When we're done with her, she'll be a pretty little corpse then we'll kill you"  
  
========================================================================  
  
A/N Thanks for the reviews wonderful Pitch Black people. Paige, I am very interested in your writing you've done about the shooting that Jack and Riddick endured. Please do send it to my email address (click on my name at the top and its there in my profile) send it as soon as poss as I'd love to read it. Thanks, Shadow xoxoxo 


	10. Escape

Disclaimer: own nothing, sorry people. The flashback in the Riddick section is written by the lovely Paige for me, thank you sweetie! I am so grateful. It's perfect.  
  
---------------------  
  
Jack was in trouble. She could feel it prickling over her skin, giving her goosebumps. She knew that if she didn't escape soon, then she would find herself beaten, tied up and shipped off to the same slam as Riddick. While this had its advantages, it also meant that she'd be killed which was not part of her plan at all. The Blues had grabbed Rasputin, clubbing him out cold before dragging him away. Jack had the feeling he was a repeat offender who just moved his equipment around. When they approached her, she shrieked slightly and looked scared, clutching at her skirt  
  
"Oh please don't hurt me, Mr Rasputin was just showing me how his equipment worked" she said tears in her voice  
  
The Blue stopped and looked at her. She widened her eyes and sighed shakily.  
  
"I'll tell you everything I promise, just don't hurt me" she tried again  
  
The Blue nearest her smiled and nodded. Jack smiled inwardly; they thought she was some rich bitch with nothing to hurt them with and more money than brains. They were so wrong it was amusing. The Blue gently took her arm and led her out of the room. Another Blue walked on her other side. Even if was no threat, they were taking no chances. They didn't know she carried a knife. A slight smile touched her lips. This was going to be fun; it always was when they weren't expecting anything. She'd do what they wanted first and then she'd strike. Because life wasn't anything if you couldn't have any fun.  
  
She was shown to a small silver panelled room. Her eyes quickly roamed the space. It was bugged, she could tell that immediately and there were probably micro-cameras there as well. She sat down delicately on a hard backed chair as a Blue sat down opposite her. The others posted themselves around the room. She made herself nervous, fidgety as she sat there.  
  
"OK then Miss...?" The Blue began  
  
"Walker, Janette Walker" she said with a sunny smile  
  
"Miss Walker, what exactly happened?"  
  
She took a deep breath, her hands twisting in her lap. The Blues were all watching her scared expression. She was laughing inside.  
  
"Well I was in the market buying clothes and gifts and so on and then this man approached me, asked me if I was looking for something, I said I was, a special gift for my brother and he said that he could show me the perfect way to find something so" she took another deep shaky breath "he showed me how it worked and I sat down in the chair, it was quite interesting and then you all burst in, what is this all about?"  
  
"Miss Walker did you know that the activity that man was showing you is illegal?" the Blue watched her face closely as he asked  
  
"No! Is it really? I had no idea!"  
  
"He's always trying make money out of people in the market place by offering them his services" explained the Blue "you have to be careful ma'am of rogue traders like him, he'll take advantage of you"  
  
"Yes I know that now and I am sorry, I had no idea" Jack gestured helplessly, tears in her eyes  
  
There was a pause. Jack looked at her lap, twisted her skirt in her hands. She knew she looked fragile and distraught all in one. She looked innocent. The Blue opposite her sat back and looked to another Blue who stood behind him. Jack could hear whispered conferences as she began wiping her eyes, visibly trying to get a hold on her herself.  
  
"Well thank you Miss" the Blue opposite her said at last "we'll deal with it from here, I hope your stay on Sunscorch is more relaxing for you from now on"  
  
"Thank you, I do too"  
  
Jack got up and nodded her head to the Blues before sweeping out of the room. She let out her breath slowly as she made her way smartly down the corridor. That was way too close for comfort. No doubt there would be people watching her from now on here, endless net searches being done to try and find her resemblance. She had to get off Sunscorch and begin to head for Pixel. It was going to be hot there as well as uncomfortable since she had to beat the security system there. It was gonna be fun.  
  
As she neared the landing dock, a presence hit her hard. It was sweaty and smelt like engine oil. Before she could place where it was, an arm flung around her and dragged her behind a wall. Alarm bells rang loudly in Jack's mind as she struggled against her assailant. This was not an ordinary petty robbery. She could tell by the way he expertly held her so that all she could was flail against him indignantly like a feeble woman. There was nothing Jack hated more than being made to behave like that when she was fighting.  
  
"Stop struggling or I'll fucking kill you, you understand?"  
  
That was not the voice of blustering bravado; that was the voice of someone who'd killed before. Immediately Jack placed the profession; it had to be a Merc. She stopped moving but kept her limbs taut and her fists clenched. She wasn't going to relax completely.  
  
"Good girl, play that way and we can all go home unhurt" the voice said again  
  
She felt someone stroke her hair and grimaced, resisting the urge to bite the person's arm. They thought that they could imprison her that easily. They did not know who they were fucking with. She felt herself being dragged along the corridor. No one would be around since everyone else was busy in the market. In fact the only people around would be...the mechanics. The mechanics. She'd noticed the Mercs posing as mechanics when she'd gotten out of her ship. One of them had to have discovered who she was. This did not mean anything good. Mercs were ruthless when it came to delivering their cargo to the person who offered the reward. Jack was willing to bet that Farrell had put a sky-high price on her head.  
  
The arm around her slackened as the person began opening the ship door. Jack knew this was her opportunity. Quick as a flash, she pulled her shiv from its hiding place and slashed out hard at the arm that held her. Giving a scream of pain, the Merc dropped her but immediately drew his own shiv. Jack whirled out of the way just in time and landed flat on the floor, a huge rip in her skirt from the shiv. She lifted her head to grin at her assailant. An old-fashioned Merc who used a shiv rather than a gun. She licked her lips, she liked a challenge.  
  
"Thanks for giving me a hand with my dress" she said before leaping out of the way  
  
She scrambled to hide behind another ship and using her own shiv, ripped the skirt all the way around so that all that was left was the low cut well laced bodice. Beneath her skirt, she'd worn cropped black pants that just reached the knees. She kicked off her high heels and crouched low immediately. She could hear the Merc cursing under his breath as he tried to deal with his wound. She grinned slowly to herself as she heard the blood splatter on the floor. Had she really cut him that deeply? Probably. What was the point in not doing a job well when you had the chance? Instinctively, she ducked so that she was flat on the ground and concentrated hard. Where was his presence? It had moved; it was making its way around, trying to get at her. Carefully she chanced a peek out from behind the ship. Sure enough there he was, a blood soaked cloth wrapped around his arm, dripping blood all over the floor and a factory made shiv in his good hand. The hand made ones were always better. They were made with a survivor's killing purpose. Jack grinned to herself again, a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse. Her favourite.  
  
Suddenly she leapt up and dove behind another ship. He was getting closer. She could see his feet moving towards her again. She wriggled under the ship. Thank God it was up on wheels. With a well aimed movement, she slashed at his feet, digging the shiv in deep. His scream was ungodly, chilling her to her bones. She shunted out from underneath the ship and pounced on him, slashing at him hard. She took his shiv off him to use. It was the blonde Merc who'd paid so much attention to her when she'd arrived. She smiled at him. He had dropped shudderingly to his knees as Jack pulled the shivs out of him. She was disappointed; he hadn't been much of a challenge. Inferior in his shiv work.  
  
"You might die but I don't know" she said matter-of-factly "all I know is that you'd better think twice about fucking with a lady like me next time, sweet dreaming"  
  
Quickly she crossed to her ship. Ships were allowed to come and go as they pleased here. Once inside she smiled, nothing like a fresh killing to get the blood pumping. Absently, she wiped her bloodied hands on her pants. It was time to leave. She quickly hailed the control office, letting them know she needed the doors open. As she sat down, she checked the petrol, hull, everything that needed double-checking. She needed to contact Lando she worked out. He could get her past security on Pixel. She could stop off on a small planet on the way and connect to him via the net. She knew he'd help her. Smoothly, she took off and carefully flew out of the doors. Farrell was trying to hard to catch her, he was going to make mistakes and when he did, she'd be there with Riddick to finish off the job. He better fucking believe she would.  
  
*  
  
Farrell was pissed off. Riddick smiled. Jack had escaped again. She always had a way of escaping death that had followed her all her life. Survivor's Charm he called it. Jack just said she was too tough to kill. He laughed to himself. She'd been shot, stabbed, someone had even tried drowning her once and she wasn't afraid of water now either somehow. The time that was most vivid in her mind was when Farrell had cornered them and shot her badly.  
  
~  
  
He sensed it, the Merc behind them. Not just any Merc, Farrell. The bastard followed them, and he intended to kill them. Just as Jack was turning around, Farrell shot her. He almost missed, but Jack wasn't able to fully dodge the bullet. Riddick picked her up with ease, and threw her over his shoulder, while still shooting at Farrell. He hit him in the right knee, and a few times in the shoulder and chest. He wasn't aiming to kill him. Riddick ran with Jack on his shoulder into an alley-way, and found a door with the words 'Medi-Care' on it. Perfect, he thought, a doctor's office. If anyone was in there, he'd kill them. Riddick couldn't trust anyone to take the bullet out of Jack, so he had to do it himself. Luckily, the place was empty. It was Sunday, and closed. He busted down the door and took Jack up to the private emergency room upstairs. He did a quick check with his com, to make sure nobody was following them, but they were safe. Riddick laid Jack down on the table in the middle of the room, on a table, and examined where she was shot. Just below her left shoulder, and a little bit above her heart. She wasn't bleeding too heavily, which meant the bullet hadn't gone too far, but she was still in pain, you could tell. She was strong though, and tried not to show it. "Did you kill the bastard?" she asked, through heavy breaths. "No, but I hurt the motherfucker, so he won't be on our asses of a while." he said, while going through the cabinets. He was looking for tweezers and some drugs to ease her pain, as well as bandages. "He wouldn't be on our asses at all, had you killed him." she was nearly out of breath now. "What would be the fun in that?" Riddinck replied. He was walking towards her with the things he wanted in hand. "If I were to kill him, I'd share it with you, and I'd make it slow. The bastard doesn't deserve to die fast." "Yeah, least now...he's suffering..." She was nearly unconscious. "What...are you...going to do?" "Knock you out, and then remove the sonofabitch bullet." He said, holding the needle above her, where she could see it. He didn't look the least bit sympathetic, he didn't allow any trace of emotion to show on his face, but he cared, and he didn't want Jack to be in any pain. "I don't need...any fucking drugs" she protested. "I can take...the pain!" "You've never had a shine job done, and until you can take that pain, you can't take this." there was a final tone in his voice, and no matter what was said now, there was no changing his mind. He slowly injected the blue liquid into her arm, and in a matter of seconds, she was out. Riddick pulled Jacks arm through the strap of her shirt, and pulled the shirt down far enough to expose the wound, but still cover her. He made a small incision above her wound with his shiv, so he could reach into it with the tweezers and pull the bullet out. This, along with cleaning it up and bandaging it took 5 minutes. Jack's shirt was drenched with blood, so Riddick took it off and searched for another one through her bag. As he did this, a thousand things went through his head; the most important one being a sexual fantasy featuring her. Being the sick fuck he was, he got turned on at that sickest times. He looked over his shoulder, and saw her calmly laying there, thinking that she'd easily be out for the next 3 hours or so, and in that time span, he could do it, and be finished without her knowing what happened. But he'd never do that to her. Thinking about it was fine, but doing it was different. Besides, he thought, she's too young. It's not like he hasn't done younger, but Jack was a different case. He finally found a shirt; just like the one she was wearing earlier, but green instead of black, and put it on her as gently as possible. Riddick decided to take a rest. Jack would be out for a while linger, and he could use a few hours sleep. When she woke up, he figured, her breathing pattern would change, and he'd hear it and wake up too. After that, they'd create a new identity, and get a move on to a different planet. ~ It had been that easy. Thinking about how strong the urge had been in him to fuck her then just gave him a hard-on now. He groaned inwardly, not a good thought when you're tied down. He thought about her escape instead, that was safer. She must be getting closer Riddick reasoned. Farrell was sending more and more people to try and capture her but it wasn't working. Riddick was being given hardly any drugs any more, he could think clearly now and his limbs worked perfectly with coarse reflexes. Jack was getting closer and they were getting scared. Riddick smiled. They did not know who they were fucking with. 


	11. Melt Down

Disclaimer: own nothing, the characters are all from the movie 'Pitch Black'  
  
"This will be most difficult"  
  
Jack rolled her eyes at Lando's translucent message, which had melted onto her screen. Talk about stating the obvious.  
  
"I know, that's why I need your help" she typed back "blacking out security in slam is complex, impossible sometimes"  
  
"It can be done though, give myself and Leccy time and we can squeeze ourselves through"  
  
"No time, I'm almost there, a few light bumps away from landing"  
  
"Then I will do what I can, may I contact you by Comlink?"  
  
Jack's fingers hovered over the keyboard. If she gave Lando her Com number, there was a chance she could be tagged and traced. She'd have to throw away her precious link to Iman and possibly Riddick. But this was the only way she could come up with for getting Riddick out. She didn't have the skills to take down an entire slam security system. Quickly she tapped in the code. Another code materialised from Lando, his own ComLink number.  
  
"I will place a tag thread on your Com, then I may be able to see where you are at all times through Net Mapping, placing you wherever you are in the universe in front of my eyes" Lando replied "I will activate the security shut down when I sense you getting within their reach, com me at the exact moment you desire the meltdown of everything, good luck Miss Badd"  
  
Grinning, Jack slid out from in front of the computer, paid at the counter and strode out to the ship. She'd stopped at a refuel station a few light bumps from Pixel to contact Lando and buy any essentials. The ship had been refuelled as well as modified, now under the guise of 'Freedom Fighter' since 'The Serenity' was probably blacklisted after her little skiv duel back at Sunscorch. She wondered what the Blues thought when they found the mechanic-bounty hunter with two healthy sized holes in him and blood pooling around him with her ship gone. She hoped they tossed his body in the trash dispenser. She fucking hated bounty hunters.  
  
'Freedom Fighter' lifted off and Jack steered it off towards the small glowing thumbprint that would be Pixel. Her adrenaline was beginning to pump now and goosebumps were rising on her flesh. There would be a lot of killing going on when she and Riddick got cool and loose. Especially now she'd got rid of the flowing girly style she'd been hiding beneath. Her hair was a dark bloody red and chopped back to its normal slick and shining style short nearly to her shoulders. She was back to wearing black too - tight liquidy pants and a matching vest top with her Riddick goggles hung around her neck; forever her talisman. She felt much more comfortable. Catching sight of herself in a mirrored panel, Jack grinned. It was definitely more to her style (her mother would have hated it) and good to be back to kick some ass. That was what she looking forward to most, seeing Farrell's face when she ripped his fucking throat out. She missed hunting with Riddick, watching him work was a thing of beauty to her.  
  
The planet loomed ahead. It was a marvellous glowing orange, speckled with indistinguishable buildings far apart. Jack switched the scanner on so that she could find the slam. Then she could park out of reach of their hailing frequency, she guessed their equipment wouldn't be as efficient as some slams were as it was such a small planet so not lavished with expensive airtight equipment. It gave her less chance of being detected. There was a bleep as the scanner picked up the slam, clearly detailed on-screen in translatable techo-speak letters and numbers. Jack slowed as she approached the planet, her eyes straying to the screen as she took in all the slam dimensions. It was a large (to her eyes) but cramped building where the scrapings of the universe were locked tightly away in the middle of nowhere. And Jack was going in there willingly  
  
"I must be fucking nuts" Jack grimaced  
  
She had to remember it was for Riddick. A man she'd unknowingly loved for a long time, a serial killer and the worst possible person to have these feelings for. Shaking her head at her situation and all she'd done so far to get here, Jack couldn't help smiling. She knew how to pick her men. Carefully, she manoeuvred the craft onto the planet, maintaining a short distance from the slam. She shut down the ship; any electrical pulses might be detected by the slam outposts. She knew her own heart was racing now, it was do or die. Grabbing her canvas backpack, Jack hopped out of the ship and began her stealth journey. She could see no one else; the area was a wasteland really. Slowly the Slam came into view - it was just as forbidding as Riddick had described all slams he'd been thrown into. He'd told her stories when she was younger that had given her horrific nightmares. She would cry and he would remain stony silent, a frozen presence in her open doorway. He showed no sympathy, saying she had to learn to fight the demons in the darkness alone. Then she'd really survive. Tough love, or maybe no love at all. Just a friendship by chance and a grudging willingness to have someone near him who understood his desire better than anyone to always survive no matter what. And she'd learnt; the nightmares had receded. Jack was no longer afraid of the dark.  
  
Jack opened her com and keyed in Lando's number. His face appeared onscreen, smiling expectantly. Jack smiled in response; a relief to know his tagging had worked.  
  
"I was about to initiate the security lock out, I see you are almost there" he offered  
  
"Which way's his cell?" Jack wasted no time on pleasantries.  
  
A spidery outline diagram replaced Lando's smile. Rapidly it rotated to reveal a tiny highlighted room at one side. Jack's eyes did calculations. She'd have to climb to the roof, as it was so near the top and then scale down the short distance to the window. The security wasn't tight, they couldn't afford much but she was sure that there would be enough surrounding Riddick to prove a mild distraction. And since she was number one on the most wanted list, there was more than a chance that she'd be ghosted on sight. She saved the diagram.  
  
"Shut it out until I'm on the roof" she commanded  
  
"It can be done"  
  
"As soon as I'm in range, kill it"  
  
Lando nodded once and signed off. When the security systems broke down, the top priority would be preventing inmates breaking out, not Jack slipping in. Grinning to herself, Jack moved closer. She could see the individual bricks now and hear the low vibrating hum signalling a construction run entirely by machines. Find the weakness and kill it, that was what Riddick said. As she neared, the hum abruptly stopped. This was her chance. Jack ran to the building, it was enormous to her but she knew it was considered one of the smallest slams on one of the smallest planets. She reached the side of the building safely and could hear the howls of the inmates who were delighting in this sudden excuse to act up and cause havoc. This was where precision and everything Riddick had ever taught her came into play; it was like one of the tests he used to give her. Only this wasn't one of his games, this time Jack was saving his ass.  
  
She pulled a compact gun from her bag; a huge length of rope attached to the bolt loaded into it. How it fitted comfortably into her bag was a mystery itself. It was one of her favourite toys. She aimed for the roof, concentrating hard.  
  
"Come on, don't miss, don't miss" she chanted forcefully to herself  
  
Jack could feel the sweat prickling over her skin and her heart pounding loudly. It was this sort of shit she adored, walking the thin incomprehensible line between rescuer and prisoner. The shit that was made for her, a new challenge every day. The bolt took off and imbedded itself deep in the rooftop ledge  
  
"Yes!"  
  
She allowed a small private victory party before attaching the end of the rope to her belt, making sure there was no slack. Then with the press of a belt device button, she shot through the stifling heat towards the rooftop. It was a primitive method but it always worked well. As soon as she came within grabbing distance, she hauled herself over the ledge with a grunt. Unhooking and putting away the equipment, she stopped to catch her breath, huge exhilarated lungfuls of it. She pressed a Com button. Obediently the security system went back online. Give them a few moments of peace before striking again. Jack marvelled at the view; she was looking down at this beautiful barren wasteland and up at the torrid swirling sky through heat you could cut with a knife while stood atop a slam full of deadbeat prisoners and her favourite serial killer. Her life really wasn't what her mother wanted it to be; no nice rich men for her to marry or glamorous stay- at-home job. Just a survivor's skin and a dangerously unstable murderer. Perfect. She could hear the chaos beneath her, guards trying to get the prisoners under control, the prisoners struggling against their captors the brief panic having awakened them and somewhere Farrell wondered at the distant noises and gloated over a scorched and imprisoned Richard B Riddick. She relished it. She was the invisible eye of the storm, controlling it and exhilarating it at her will, just the way Riddick liked it. Mistress of Chaos and bringer of darkness. She pulled the Riddick goggles up from their constant place around her neck to cover her eyes, completing her appearance of night glider. She dialled Lando again  
  
"Start the meltdown"  
  
*  
  
It's a dangerous thing to leave a man with nothing to repent for with his memories for company. Riddick could remember everything and since he was not capable of the sweet fantasies of dreams and could comfortably see now, he passed his time remembering. Since remembering when she was shot at by Farrell, it had all been about Jack. Shaped by her past. He could so clearly now see her being held back by Paris as she screamed for Shaz to stay down and was forced to watch as Shaz was eaten alive by the monstrous beings. There was a child's compassion that coloured her actions but mostly it was that survivor's skin that she'd come to fit into. She knew how to survive since escaping her parents and that potent identity clung to her. He could see looking back that everything on that planet was beginning to pull Jack into the apprentice killer she turned out to be. A beautiful monster of his own creation. And he was proud of her. He hoped he got a chance to get out of here and show her his appreciation in the flesh.  
  
Farrell entered the room and walked straight up to Riddick's darkened corner. Riddick watched with expectant interest as Farrell roughly unchained his prisoner's wrists and dragged him by the arms into the light. Riddick swore loudly, unable to hide his pain at suddenly being exposed to the burning light after several days of darkness. His feet were still attached to the floor and Farrell chained his wrists to another ring. Riddick had instantly shut his eyes, his anger visible bubbling. Someone had pissed Farrell off. Then he realised; the hum that surrounded his cell usually was gone. Someone had gotten access.  
  
Things were being shaken up. Riddick became aware of how he could feel and hear and smell people running around maniacally. There were inmates fucking yelling their throats out and Blues losing their minds. Riddick was loving it, even in the torturous light. It sounded like his own twisted version of heaven. He relished chaos, it was when he could really blend in and take people by surprise. Here though, he couldn't do much. He still couldn't move and his eyes were stingingly blinded by the sun that now drenched him through the window. It was the perfect opportunity he'd take in a normal situation to make the best of it. And he couldn't do anything about it. He had to sit and play chicken as everyone else enjoyed the panic. Except Farrell who now was striding out the cell, his anger momentarily quenched through causing more intentional vicious pain to Riddick.  
  
There was silence for a moment and then, something else happened. There was total electronic silence. Then panic seemed to set in and the chaotic noise was back again and even louder. Inmates were rattling their cages and trying to escape, Blues were trying to control the situation. He wondered what Farrell was doing. Probably fuming, trying to get the situation under control again. Something big was going down and Riddick wasn't part of it. He was stuck in the fucking sunlight and unable to move. Someone was doing what he wanted to do and had wanted to do since he first had been dragged in. Someone else was raising the hell instead of him, just the way he liked it.  
  
Then he knew. 


	12. Let Us In

Disclaimer: I own nothing, sorry!!  
  
LET US IN  
  
Everything stopped. Jack found she was holding her breath. The rioting noises below her started again, stronger than before. She could hear people running around; yelling orders and the obscenities hurled back. Most potent of all were the presences that enveloped her, each individual cloaking her in their own individual sense  
  
"Focus"  
  
Her hands moved on auto-pilot as she threaded the rope back into her belt, holding the excess in one hand. Precariously, she began abseiling down. The burnt ring bracelet scars on her wrists ached, startling her slightly. They were constant reminders of her criminal survivor status, ones she'd ignored most of the time until a sudden jar reminded her of the white hot agony she had gone through for Riddick. Agony he didn't even know about. If he ever saw them, Jack knew he'd force the information out of her. What she was doing now was nothing compared to what she'd been through before for him  
  
Rapidly she scaled down the wall, the combination of muggy heat, screeching and increasingly strong presences forcing her concentration to the limits of its powers. She had to grab hold of Riddick's presence, then she could get in.  
  
"C'mon Mistress of Chaos" she ground out through her teeth "it's what you're here for"  
  
Taking in shaky fluid breaths, Jack trained herself onto the inside walls. As quickly as she allowed herself to, she began searching the slam for Riddick's special presence. Immediately, she latched onto it and smiled. It still gave her the shivers. Increasing her pace, she tried not to fall. Then she was at the window; she could feel him inside.  
  
"This is the fun part"  
  
Jack pushed off the wall and slammed her feet into the window. She repeated the motion, grunting under her breath and hoping that Lando was causing plenty of untraceable distractions using all the control at his long fingertips. Suddenly the window flipped up and she flew through, unhooking herself from the rope as she did and landing on Riddick. His presence overwhelmed her and to see him alive in the flesh made her almost shake. She could tell he was a little unsettled at someone landing in his lap out of nowhere though the thump of her feet against the window had probably alerted him to something happening. He'd recognised her scent by now surely. Her thoughts seemed to process double fast or double slow, she couldn't tell. Before she could squash the urge, Jack lunged forward and kissed Riddick. She hadn't seen him in so long besides, she had the chance and fuck it, she was gonna take it. She had limited time but she squeezed every drop of all she felt into those moments. Riddick responded with equally insatiable appetite.  
  
Footsteps. Jack jerked away and pulled out her pouch shiv. Swiftly she cut Riddick's hands and feet bonds. Then she grabbed the rope that dangled outside the window, clipped herself to it and hauled her ass out of sight, pulling the window shut as she did. Hell she was gonna have some explaining to do when she and Riddick got out of here. But judging by the way Riddick had been using his tongue just now, he had similar ideas.  
  
There was a short scream; flesh contacted flesh and then nothing except rapid heaving breaths. It sounded like Riddick was having fun the way he liked it. Jack neatly let herself down to look in with a mile wide grin. A discarded Blue's body lady on the floor, several body parts in different parts of the room. Riddick had a lot of anger to vent. Jack flipped the window again and jumped in, pulling off her goggles. Riddick smiled a long wide smile, wiping his bloodied shiv on his black vest. He was embedded in translucent darkness, his eyes two astonishing green shimmers. Farrell had taken his goggles by the look of it.  
  
"Didn't I tell you to go to New Mecca?" he asked slowly  
  
"And let you kill Farrell without me? Can't keep me out, you know that"  
  
"So I see, we'll talk about that later"  
  
She was hoping he'd say that  
  
*  
  
Jack's entrance had surprised him in the best possible way. She landed, sweaty, gorgeous and smelling all Jack in his lap. The ferocity with which she kissed him had been unexpected but wholly enjoyable, which he hoped to enjoy again. She tasted as delicious as he knew she would but it had been the smell of her arousal that had got him the most. It had made him curse Farrell to all depths of his own visions of hell (which coming from Riddick's mind were certainly to be feared) for tying him down. Where Jack would have progressed to if the footsteps hadn't interrupted Riddick savoured in his mind. She'd cut his bonds and taken off, allowing him to grab his boot-hidden shiv and do a regular gut shuck job on an unlucky Blue. Definitely one of his best pieces of work, it was almost artistic.  
  
After being tied down in the sunlight and a Jack induced hard-on, Riddick had some fucked up angst to let out. Whatever oil-thick liquid that passed for his emotions was racing through his veins and pounding in his forehead. Two people became central. Farrell. He had to find the bastard and inflict a lifetime of torture. Jack. He had to find her so that she could join in Farrell's killing, get out of slam and a not-so-secluded place (he didn't care where) so he could finally fuck her. Two negative energies gone in one go and both he'd enjoy infinitely. He had more than a suspicion that Jack would enjoy both a lot  
  
With a thump she landed in the room and grinned cockily. Riddick had his own shit-eating grin on as he concentrated on rubbing the blood-splattered shiv clean on his vest. It felt good to have one back in his hands, like an extension of them. He could feel Jack's intense stare searching him. Still she couldn't penetrate his dark moods that effectively cloaked him from any probing of the human or electrical kind  
  
"Didn't I tell you to go to New Mecca?" he was back in control, all his slippery thoughts about her safely locked away for another time  
  
"And let you kill Farrell without me? Can't keep me out, you know that"  
  
"So I see, we'll talk about that later"  
  
He could see her smile. It exactly mirrored his thoughts. Something flew towards him. Instinct snapped his hand around them. Her goggles, black and rubbery  
  
"Before you blind yourself" her voice rung out with its usual lilt of mockery  
  
He gave a short laugh and pulled them on. It was his kind of bliss to be free in the darkness, the kind he could carry around in his pocket. Now the only person safe was him and that wasn't guaranteed. Jack knew she wasn't safe and from the look she gave him, that was fine by her  
  
Riddick could still hear the chaos outside and around the room. Somehow Jack had rigged all this shit to blow so she could get in. He reached down and slid the Blue's gun towards her. She looked down at it in disdain  
  
"I thought we were past bullets Riddick" she said, her own shiv in her hand suddenly  
  
"Baby if you're out there in a rain of gunfire, you might want some of your own to turn against them"  
  
With a grouchy sneer, she picked up the gun and looked at it in disgust. Riddick smiled to himself. He had taught her that attitude; guns were for people who wanted things the easy way. No skill in the kill. He'd taught her that blade work was the way to go but now, they had to fight fire with fire. He pulled a small automatic from the Blue's back-sash. The motherfuckers were not ready for what they were about to face. 


	13. No Longer Waiting

Disclaimer: don't own anything but man I wish I did!!  
  
NO LONGER WAITING  
  
Riddick opened the door quietly, slowly and looked out. The corridors were rioting, he could see cell mates shaking the bars and screaming. He could see blood, pools of it as the inmates tried in vain to escape. He could smell their excitement, the stench of pure delight thickening the air. The Blues rushed around, trying to prevent them from escaping and trying to hold onto their sanity. He could smell their despair. No one seemed to notice him. He edged back into their room. Jack was fiddling with her com. It vibrated softly  
  
"Have you found Mr Riddick?" Lando's calm voice poured into her tired ear  
  
"Yeah, he's here" Jack grinned "small problem of finding Farrell to kill him"  
  
"Mr Farrell? Easily found" she heard keys clicking "he is two floors below trying to return the power to full, I can keep him blocked for an infinite amount of time, when I see you reach the correct floor, I shall give you his co-ordinates"  
  
"You do that"  
  
She hung up to find Riddick observing her with interest.  
  
"New friend?" he asked  
  
"Lando" she answered "he's the one who got this whole place wired for me, very useful knowing a Plecto like that"  
  
Riddick smiled.  
  
"Good to know he came in useful; I didn't save his life for nothing"  
  
"Couldn't have done this without him, he says Farrell's two floors down trying to reboot, want to go join him?"  
  
"Sounds like a plan"  
  
Jack walked to the window and tested the line. It should hold them both. The idea of being tied to Riddick brought some very welcome thoughts to her head and made her smile. She wondered if Riddick had upgraded to mind reading yet.  
  
"We can use the line" she said, turning back to him  
  
He was looking at her in that way that he couldn't decipher. She wished she knew what he was hiding. However given the way he reacted to her kiss, she could pretty much tell. That was a satisfying idea to explore later when Farrell was six feet under. He slowly walked towards her and reached over to tug at the rope, his face frozen as he assessed everything. Then he nodded.  
  
"Guess this'll be a two-seater" Jack muttered  
  
She pulled the rope in and looped it through her belt and then through Riddick's, not looking him in the eyes. It would make her do something she'd regret. Pulling the slack into her hands, she finally looked up at him. His expression was unreadable hidden beneath the goggles.  
  
"Hold tight" he said, wrapping his arms around her  
  
Trying to breathe properly, she flipped the window open again and they launched themselves out of it. The rope held tightly. Jack fought to get her feet against the walls; it was harder than before since she had a Riddick sized problem in front of her.  
  
"Out the way, you fucking retard" she managed as she squirmed around  
  
"Retard? You better pray I'm in a good mood when we get out of here kid"  
  
"Don't call me kid, you know I hate it!" she grumbled "I'm not a kid anymore"  
  
"So I noticed"  
  
His words hung in the air as Jack managed to lower them down to the second floor. There was an electric atmosphere between them. Neither said anything, concentrating too hard on the jobs at hand; Riddick keeping an eye out for Blues and Jack letting them down without letting them plummet to their untimely deaths. But there was something there. Jack could sense it and it made her smile. It was a sense of anticipation. They both knew something was going to happen.  
  
"Two floors down" she said softly  
  
Riddick began swinging his body weight towards the nearest window and with Jack joining him, they flipped it open hurtled through. They landed in a heap. Jack quickly disentangled herself, that could wait for later when there wasn't a chance that a Blue could kill them both on sight. Riddick got to his feet and checked over the gun carefully. Jack watched with interest. He appeared to know a lot about guns, knowing how to handle them well  
  
"Firearm training?" she asked, shouldering her own pistol  
  
"Something like that"  
  
There was a soft purr as Lando made Jack's com vibrate. Eagerly she answered it  
  
"Three doors to your left" Lando said immediately "Good luck"  
  
Jack hung up and cocked her head towards the door.  
  
"Three doors to the left and our prey is ready for us" she announced  
  
"Then what are we waiting for?"  
  
*  
  
Riddick opened the door and strode out. Almost instantly a Blue dashed down the corridor, yelling into a com.  
  
"Prisoner escaped! Prisoner escaped! High security prize on red alert, repeat..."  
  
Riddick cut off the conversation with bullets. The Blue fell limply to the floor. Riddick retrieved the com and crushed it beneath his foot. No one must know their movements. So now someone knew that a prisoner had escaped, and by the sound of it, they knew it was him. He hoped that someone wasn't Farrell. Then the element of surprise was all gone. How disappointing. Jack appeared behind him, flanked by his body. She turned sharply and fired off a few rounds. He could hear the bodies fall  
  
"These Blues sure are thorough" she muttered "let's get to the control room before I get bored"  
  
"You find battle boring?"  
  
"No, just guns, give me shiv work any day, at least there's some skill in it"  
  
"How about when we find Farrell, only shivs allowed?"  
  
"Oh you are on!"  
  
There was silence as they moved silently down the vast empty corridors. Riddick felt all his anger about Farrell race through his mind. The way the son of a bitch had first tried to capture them, trying to lure Jack away when she was younger and less experienced. He would have almost got her if Riddick hadn't been watching intently from the shadows, intrigued by this sly Merc who enjoyed playing games with his prey. Then everytime they got some leeway he'd turn up, armed to the hilt and ready for battle, determined to bring his kill in for the money he knew he deserved. A royal pain in the ass, so fucking clever that he always managed to stay alive. In anyone else, Riddick would have respected that. In Farrell, it pissed him off. And now he was the kill and he was the prey. For torturing Riddick with drugs and sunlight and visions of Jack dying painfully before him.  
  
"Third door down" hissed Jack suddenly  
  
Riddick looked back and forth down the corridor. She was right, it was three doors down. The coast was clear. He took a moment to check himself. Heartbeat nice and slow, breathing normal, surprising considering how close he was to Jack. He allowed himself one wicked smile. That could wait until later.  
  
"Ready for this?" he asked slowly  
  
"Hell yeah"  
  
With a swift nod, he pushed open the door and strode in with Jack very close behind him. Farrell was waiting for them and they were more than ready for him. 


	14. No One But You

Disclaimer: nothing owned, bought or sold. I am merely a student with a small bank balance and a BIG imagination.  
  
NO ONE BUT YOU  
  
The sound of the door swinging open made an odd swishing noise. Jack felt her breath in her throat, being sucked in and out. She felt hyper aware of everything around her. Riddick for his part seemed to be affected by the same sensation as he keenly observed everything around him as though suspecting a trick of some sort. He too appeared unnerved by the strange silence in the air and the extreme sensitivity the atmosphere seemed to be full of.  
  
Jack swallowed hard. Her wrist scars were aching again and she was desperate to itch them but that would mean revealing them to Riddick which she could never do. It would cost her too much pain to let him know what she'd been through for him. It would hurt him to know too, especially since she hadn't told him. She could feel her skin sweating, a very unpleasant sensation. She was broken out of her space out by Riddick  
  
"Further in"  
  
With a pert nod, she moved forward with Riddick as close behind her as her shadow. They had no time to hang around otherwise bullets would be wasted on Blues. Riddick neatly slipped the gun onto his belt and motioned for Jack to do the same. They would fight Farrell with shivs only. It was the way it had to be done. The guns could be used on any interfering Blues who thought they could save the day.  
  
They moved as one into the darkness, Riddick neatly pulling the goggles up onto his head so that he could properly penetrate it. The room was completely inky black; Jack could detect no other breathing other than her own. Something was moving around in the darkness though. Did Farrell think he could win in the darkness? He knew how proficient Riddick was when the lights went out.  
  
Slowly she continued on her way through the darkness, Riddick's close presence a comfort and a thrill to her all wrapped up in one. Something in the room was making her skin crawl. Her hand was on her pouch shiv, ready to draw if anything got in her way. Everything was deadly silent. She was waiting for Riddick to properly identify where the movement was coming from so that she could strike.  
  
Suddenly a huge blinding light blasted on in front of them. Riddick yelled a guttural sound and fell to the floor stunned. The light was a huge concentrated lamp light, shining directly at them. Jack shaded her eyes with a shiv-less hand and squinted into the light. She could just make out a shadowy form but her eyes were stinging from the sudden ferocity of the light and strange dark blobs were swimming in front of them. She could sense movement and then someone landed a hard punch on her jaw, knocking her to the ground.  
  
Farrell  
  
Words exploded through her mind, in hot seeping letters. That son of a bitch had ambushed her! Swearing colourfully, she rolled herself rapidly across the floor to avoid any imminent attacks so that she could regroup. With a soft thud, she knocked into Riddick's fallen form. He was silent, as in not moving at all. This could not be good. She reached out and shook his shoulder roughly  
  
"Riddick!" she hissed as loudly as she dared  
  
"Can't see a thing kid" was his mumbled reply, he hadn't lifted his head from the floor yet "that light fucking took out my sight, that bastard is in here somewhere Jack"  
  
"That bastard is right here" a voice rang out  
  
Jack turned to find herself looking at the barrel of a gun and it didn't look like it was set on stun. Without fear she looked up to the owner of the hands which held it. Farrell stood with an annoying smirk on his face. He looked the way he always had, dirty, dangerous and the scum of the Universe.  
  
"To your feet Miss Badd" he motioned with the gun as he spoke  
  
Jack knew that her glare was as full of hate as was physically possible, she practically glowed with it. Slowly she got to her feet, hands raised slightly from her body so that Farrell would think she wasn't planning any attack. He smiled, never taking his eyes off her. He moved forward slightly and kicked Riddick hard  
  
"Get up you piece of shit, come on I know you're still awake"  
  
As his attention was diverted to torturing Riddick, Jack swiftly ducked out of the gun's range and aimed a sweeping kick at Farrell's legs. With a startled cry he was knocked off balance. Jack kicked the gun from his hands and then dived on him, smashing her fist into his jaw. His head jarred backwards, almost bouncing off the ground. Jack got to her feet and smashed his gun under her heel before throwing it to the side without a glance to where it was going. Seeing that Farrell would be groggy a few seconds more, she scooted over to Riddick's side and hauled him with great difficulty into a sitting position. He looked at her with burning eyes, it chilled her completely. It was like his eyes had been burnt to a crisp. She quickly pulled his goggles down over them, hoping it would help him cool off.  
  
Her feelings were skeetering around her body like fireflies. She had to beat Farrell and leave some pieces for Riddick. This Merc had caused them all kinds of hell over so many past years. She pulled her shiv from her pouch and turned in a swift powerful motion, slamming her shiv's point into the floor where Farrell lay. Or where he had lain. He wasn't there any more. Jack turned and saw his boot travelling towards her. Instinctively, she launched herself to one side and Farrell's boot hit the ground soundlessly. Jack leapt to her feet and parried his next blow with her arm before slashing at his gut with her shiv. He screamed but it was only a shallow cut, a simple reminder of what she could do to him. He could shiv fight, she'd fought him before. Just because Riddick was down and out at the moment, Farrell thought he'd have an easy ride getting her to die. He thought wrong.  
  
"C'mon, is that everything you've got?" asked Jack tauntingly  
  
Farrell said nothing and began a slow circle around her. The darkness lifted and the lights became dimmed to a pleasant soft grey, picking out shadows and highlighting odd angles. Riddick sat still, head dropped and eyes staring into his lap. Jack was worried; she doubted he'd had such a strong powerful light shone directly into his eyes since before the shine job. She hoped it wouldn't affect him permanently.  
  
There was a blur of dark blue and Farrell dived at her. She saw the glint in the dim light. He had a shiv in one hand, a small curved one. It wasn't hand-made like her's and Riddick's. Factory bought, where they processed nice rent-a-cops. She smirked. He was proficient enough with a shiv, enough to be something of a challenge. It could be interesting.  
  
She dodged his wild slash at her and grabbed his shiv wrist before using his own weight and throwing him across the room. He landed with a nasty sounding bump and groaned before turning to see Jack running at him. She leapt into the air and cannonballed onto his form before leaping away to land solidly on her feet. Farrell tried to get to his feet just as fluidly but stumbled a little as he collected his thoughts. Jack smirked at him, her pride in her abilities evident. This was shaping up to be a fun fight.  
  
She saw his left foot move a little towards Riddick, realising where he was going and beginning to move herself when he made a dash for the large muscled form. Just as quickly she skidded across the shining floor, meeting his shiv as it slashed down inches from Riddick's chest. Riddick had twitched as Farrell approached and then lurched to one side, his reaction times greatly slowed. Jack looked back up at Farrell, that hateful look back on her face. It was up to her to protect him until he recovered enough to help her finish off the job.  
  
*  
  
All he could see were thick globby stars. They clouded his vision and brought this intense pain into his eyes. That motherfucker Farrell had shone the strongest light he'd ever felt into his eyes, without goggle protection. He felt knocked out completely. It was like the most intense lasers beamed right into his eyes, gouging out his very darkened irises. The pain was something he could deal with, it wasn't like the shine job but was definitely the closest to it yet. Now, he could hear Jack as she fought; smell her sweat as it mingled with her fear. She was willing to fight for him while he recovered. That bond between them was as strong as before, if not stronger. He tried smiling but it didn't feel right.  
  
He could feel what was going on around him. Jack had pulled him up into a sitting position and managed to get the goggles back over his eyes. He could feel that comforting heaven again where he wasn't trapped in a light- filled hell but cool comforting darkness. Stars still danced before his eyes though, making him wish he was asleep. He willed them to fade, he wanted them to disappear. Then he could fight properly. Too long he'd been kept in the light, blinded by the sticky sunlight Farrell had subjected him to in the prison. Now he had the chance to pin down the fucker and make him pay, with a ton of blood money on offer. He was going to make it real slow and painful.  
  
Then he heard Jack's scream 


	15. It Is Finished

Disclaimer; own nothing though I'd love to (I doubt Riddick would fit in a holdall). Big thanks to Blue for the lovely email, you can breathe again now sweetie.  
  
IT IS FINISHED......  
  
Blood seemed to choke her. She couldn't be dying, that was impossible. She was with Riddick, he'd never let her die. But he was sat on the floor seeing stars and she was fighting Farrell with a shiv. Anything was possible really. What had happened?  
  
The cold hard floor came up to meet her and crashed into her back. It felt as though someone had dropped a huge weight on it. She groaned quietly and tried to steady her spinning head. Instead, one of her hands fluttered over her body. Where was that pain coming from? And that blood which seemed to choke her up? She found a deep slash down her middle, the cut vicious and letting out blood. Slowly her vision came back and she saw the world in its grey-dimmed hues. The huge shadowy shape moving slowly to its feet had to be Riddick. A vague notion to make him sit down until his sight properly came back passed through her mind. Where was Farrell?  
  
A glint of light and a shiv was crashing down towards her. Her hand snapped up and grabbed the wrist with a blood-slicked hand. She met the furious blue eyes of Farrell who started a little as he took in her appearance. She knew she must look like death, all in skin-tight black with blood splattered over her chest and a weak frail feeling welling up inside of her. She couldn't let him beat her. With a vicious twist of her lips, she yanked him towards her and kicked him hard in his gut so that he crumpled slightly. She fought her way to her feet, vaguely surprised that her shiv was still in her hand. She saw Farrell's snake like hand gripping his own shiv and stamped on it before kicking him in the head. She could feel her wits returning to her and her sense sucked into her with a tremendous jump.  
  
Pain was all she could feel. She looked down and winced a tiny bit. It was one of the worse shiv injuries she'd ever got. Quickly she ripped the jacket off Farrell and tore off a long wide strip which she wound around her middle tightly. That might hold her in until she could dress it properly. One thing you certainly learnt when running constantly was how to dress a wound. One thought continually pounded in her brain, she had to finish off Farrell. For her and for Riddick.  
  
Her feet responded first and began kicking at Farrell hard, keeping an eye on the shiv which was just out of his reach. This rage just flowed through her, keeping her feet moving and her brain engaged on that idea. A grubby hand reached out and grabbed her nearest foot. She felt herself teetering and just as rapidly descending to the floor. She found herself face to face with Farrell, a mad crazed look in his baby blue eyes. Something had clicked inside of him too. He lashed out at her, punching her in the face several times before picking her up bodily and throwing her as hard as he could. She felt her body bounce but felt as though she was watching everything happen. The pain was dulled and not part of her at all, just something she was feeling.  
  
Where was Riddick?  
  
Colours, mostly red, swarmed in her mind. What was happening to her? She had to protect her chest, she knew that much and managed to roll across the floor in the hope it was out of Farrell's aim. Her chest was full of excruciating pain that seemed to rip it apart. She knew if she didn't get to her feet soon, then somehow Farrell would finish it all off. She could see him as he loomed above her. Suddenly Farrell was ripped from her gaze.  
  
Something was happening but she could see what. She struggled to turn her body over and managed to catch what was happening with a glazed stare. Riddick was on his feet and fighting hard. She would make out the two figures fighting in the smoky light. It was like being back on that planet again and watching Riddick and Johns duel by errie green light. Back then she'd been sure that Riddick would win but now, she wasn't as sure. Her childlike certainty in her hero was gone and replaced by something deeper. She willed Riddick to win, one hand clutched to her dampened chest.  
  
*  
  
That scream had awakened him or more preciously something in him. He'd finally managed to open his eyes without a fucking laser pain going off in them and had seen Jack lying on the floor, this big gash out of her chest and frightened look in her eyes. That had done it. He'd spent longer than he wanted to getting to his feet and finally, as Farrell stood stooped over Jack's shaking form, he'd wrenched the motherfucker away from her and the fight had been on.  
  
Nothing but rage seemed to fill him. He'd been locked in a box of sunlight for what seemed like forever by this asshole and now he had the chance for retribution. He was gonna take that chance and squeeze the life out of it. Farrell could see it in his eyes he knew. This man had shot Jack, had spent literally years planning their deaths (and how to spend the money he'd get from that fat fucking pay day) and was sick and twisted enough to want to kill Jack slowly in front of Riddick after doing whatever he wanted with her. All he'd thought about was the money.  
  
Riddick was ready  
  
He could sense Jack stirring, the life fluttered back into her veins slowly. It must have been a pretty bad slash to take her out like that. He grimaced and focused everything on Farrell. The man's fear was beginning to smell good. Riddick ducked suddenly and swept the Merc's feet from beneath him. His shiv flashed in the air and pinned Farrell to the floor. Riddick hazarded a glance over his shoulder at Jack. She was lying still, staring at the ceiling but her hands moved as they held a wide strip of cloth over the slash, keeping the blood tightly in. She wouldn't see a thing.  
  
Riddick smiled grimly. Farrell was all his, weak from the loss of blood and beginning to look fearful. He was pinned to the floor, unable to move. Riddick had time to finish off the job he'd started a long time ago. Then Jack would be safe. Riddick smiled and set to work. 


	16. As We Lie Together

Disclaimer: I own nothing (Vin Diesel in a bag would be delicious) so don't sue and keep reading!! There's at least one more chapter to come after this so it isn't quite finished yet!  
  
...AS WE LIE TOGETHER  
  
Darkness. That was all she was aware of. Pain in her gut shot a blood red streak through her consciousness. She couldn't remember. With a tremendous effort, she fluttered her eyelids open. Now all she could see was bright flooding light and it fucking stung her insides. A groan was ripped from her dry coarse throat and she heard an answering rumble of a laugh.  
  
Turning she saw Riddick, sat in a chair pooled in darkness. His eyes were two silver discs, shining fiercely in the blackness. Jack swallowed, her throat felt like shit. It produced a hacking cough.  
  
"Water" she gasped out  
  
"Beside you" Riddick answered  
  
She reached a shaking hand towards the glass, gripping it determinedly before raising it to her cracked dry lips. The water felt refreshing, better than any alcohol shots possible. As she drank, she wondered what Riddick was doing, watching her so closely. What had happened?  
  
"Riddick" her voice was a lot less raspy "Riddick what happened?"  
  
There was a soft creak as he moved out of his chair and came to stand beside her. His eyes were unreadable beneath his goggles, she hated that.  
  
"Farrell is dead"  
  
A heartbeat skip then....  
  
"Was it painful?"  
  
"As was physically possible"  
  
"Good"  
  
Jack tried to stretch but flinched violently in pain  
  
"Fuck! What's happened to me?"  
  
Riddick slowly reached out a hand and traced it ghost-like down her middle. Jack let him. Her eyes were on him. His face didn't crack  
  
"Farrell gave you the mother of all slashes down your chest, that's why you were passed out when I killed him; I carried you back here and got you fixed up"  
  
Here. Where was here? She looked around as best she could. It was some sort of cabin in a ship, God know's whos. It wasn't the one she'd been flying so logic taught her it was Riddick's  
  
"This your tub?" she asked  
  
Riddick gave a sort laugh.  
  
"Yep this would be mine, this beauty is taking us as far away from Pixel as possible, Lando knows what's going on"  
  
"You used my com while I was out?!"  
  
"Had to, he deserved the news after helping me bust out"  
  
Jack locked her eyes on Riddick, a pleasant half-dazed smile on her face as she did. He stared right back but she could see some kind of discomfort there, like he felt like he shouldn't be looking at her. She wasn't a child anymore.  
  
"I'm gonna sleep" she said abruptly, not wanting to answer any of his questions she could feel brewing  
  
"I'll be around when you wake up"  
  
Jack didn't say anything else but turned over and fell into deep dreamless slumber, a frown puckering her face. She loved Riddick but what good was it when she was injured.  
  
She didn't know how long she slept for but suddenly she felt someone nudge her awake. She opened her eyes and found she could move without screaming. The light was very dim and Riddick stood over her, immoveable and silent  
  
"How long was I out?"  
  
"Long enough to heal"  
  
"Shit you didn't gas me did you? I hate being gassed"  
  
"No gas, no shit in your system, just sleep"  
  
Jack nodded and felt down her middle. There was still a bandage there but no pain at all. She smiled, feeling much more like herself. She extended her hands to Riddick and after a pause; he grasped them and pulled her up sharply into a sitting position. She found herself face to face with Riddick  
  
"Mind telling me what that was all about down there?" he asked softly  
  
He could only be talking about one thing. Not much scared Jack anymore but having to explain to Riddick why she kissed him when she saw him was a pretty terrifying prospect. Taking a deep inner breath, she grinned at him  
  
"What? You don't know what it means when you kiss someone?" she asked, cocking her head to one side playfully  
  
A smile reached his lips  
  
"I know what it means smartass, I just wondered if you meant it"  
  
Jack looked at him. He peeled his goggles off and stared back at her. She could see into his eyes. She couldn't pretend anymore. If he didn't want her, she'd deal with it. But she knew not saying anything would kill her over time.  
  
"I meant it, I'd waited a long time to do without fear, since you were tied down I did it" she shrugged, not looking into his eyes anymore "I've wanted you for the longest time but how could I tell you? We're always apart and that sucks because it means I think of you more"  
  
Riddick looked at her wordlessly and then suddenly pushed her down onto the bed, his body pressed against her's. His eyes shone like demons in the dim light and Jack felt herself grin. It was good thing all the pain had gone away  
  
"Guess that answers my question about you felt about it then" she said laughing  
  
"You're gonna find out" Riddick replied  
  
And he claimed her mouth with his own 


	17. Smiling

Disclaimer: I own nothing so sorry if u want to make money. Join the queue  
  
SMILING  
  
Several Months Later  
  
The galaxy in front of them was asleep and dreaming. It was very black with stars splattered everywhere and moons passing them every few lightyears. It felt like they'd been travelling for years. In reality it was only a few months.  
  
"Shit Riddick when are we getting to this galaxy?"  
  
Riddick was sat in the pilot seat, checking some readings. He held a hand out behind him to signal for the voice to wait til he finished. Tapping some buttons, he set the ship to auto-pilot so he didn't have to worry too much about what was going on as they flew.  
  
Jack stood behind him, arms crossed furiously in front of her. Her appearance had changed hardly at all in the months that had followed her flight to Pixel. Her hair was still short and blood red, falling above her shoulders and she still wore tight liquidy black. Riddick hadn't changed outwardly either and raised an eyebrow at her  
  
"What?"  
  
"Answer my question! When are we getting to this galaxy you told me about?"  
  
"When the ship gets there" after Jack glared at him harder, he flashed a smile "estimate time a few days"  
  
"Why the hell are we going here anyway?"  
  
"The small matter of Mercs, it's a small galaxy hardly anyone visits so we'll be able to be there together without looking over our shoulders too much and if they do end up visiting us, then we'll just kill them"  
  
Not much had changed in the past few months. They'd visited Iman and talked to him about staying together, whether it was a viable option. He had said that if they had that bond between them then it would be safety in numbers. Now that Riddick had got out of such a huge security prison, it was rumoured he wasn't human but a ghost, a demon, the devil himself. Riddick had laughed at that.  
  
The devil had nothing on him  
  
He and Jack had settled into that comfortable level of being together. They fitted together well. Iman had smiled at them and said he gave them his blessing. Jack had discovered that Riddick had set the ship on a course for New Mecca once she was awake and that was where they were for several weeks. They needed to spend some time with Iman after so many years apart from him. Survivors share a bond  
  
She's heard news reports about the finding of Farrell's body. Apparently it was barely recognisable. Her blood didn't even run cold at the thought. Riddick told her he'd done as much damage as he could without causing anyone to know they were there. She rubbed a wrist absently. Riddick had seen the marks but hadn't asked. She knew one day he would and she'd have the true answers ready for him. Now they were still hunted. They were wanted for one more murder. She'd forgotten how many were on their combined list now. They were a Holy Grail to Mercs and Blues, plenty of whom had attempted to capture them alive since Farrell's murder. No one had succeeded, not even come close.  
  
Now Riddick was taking her somewhere far away so they could relax for a while. God knew for how long. They both loved the hunt so much that it would probably be a matter of weeks. She scowled at Riddick and sat down to begin to sharpen her shiv. She couldn't complain about life. She and Riddick had decided to stay together after that night on the ship. They couldn't be apart, no matter how safe it was. Lando helped them as much as he could, cloaking their ship and causing chaos. He said he enjoyed it, knowing he was causing problems for the Blues. Jack grinned. Yeah life was ok.  
  
"What the hell you smiling at?" Riddick asked curiously  
  
"Nothing for you to get your tiny brain tied up in"  
  
"You're as good as dead if you continue along that line"  
  
"Ah you'd miss the sex too much"  
  
"I can get that on tap on any planet we stop on"  
  
"Do that and I'll kill the bitches"  
  
Riddick grinned and sat back. He had no complaints either. Jack was his, the way it should have been. They travelled together to avoid the detection, capture or torture the Mercs were willing to dish out. Iman had taken him aside, warning him that Jack was so fiercely independent that it could jeopardise their partnership together since she was so used to working as a separate entity. Riddick has reassured him that there was enough fire and love between them to keep them together. Love. He couldn't remember if he'd told Jack he loved her. He hadn't at first. It had just been sex, the thing he'd yearned from her after such separation and that kiss. Then after spending time together he'd been forced to confront the fact that he'd been falling for his partner-in-crime.  
  
He didn't have to tell her. She knew by just looking at him.  
  
"Now what are you smiling at Richard B Riddick?" Jack asked teasingly as she sat down beside him  
  
"Same thing as you"  
  
And he was  
  
........................  
  
So that's where I'm gonna leave em folks. I think they deserve it after all they've been through don't u? It's been a hell of a journey to write this story and I couldn't have made it without a lot of people so here we go with the thank yous:  
  
My Reviewers: you guys rock on every level. Just knowing people read it and enjoy it enough to review is enough to inspire me to write. So big thanks to anyone who gave it a passing glance. Special thanks to those loyal peeps Blaze, abraxis, Your Worshipfulness, Rogue Angel 715, CandyCoatedWaterDrops and Digital Tempest (love chatting to u my love!)  
  
Vin Diesel and Rhiana Griffith who in 'Pitch Black' created such monsters of characters in Riddick and Jack that I just had to write them. U two are incredible and I cannot wait for 'The Chronicles of Riddick' which I know will satisfy my hunger for these characters. Big thanks. Also thanks to Keith David who played Iman, a wonderful character to write who I adore including!!  
  
Ardath for her fic 'Apprentice' one of the first Pitch Black fanfics I ever read and one I keep coming back to to reread. Ur story is a total inspiration for this author, the best PB fic I have ever read so thanks very much for giving me the spark to start his long journey with Riddick and Jack though mine is not as wonderfully complex as urs is!  
  
The Vin Diesel Estrogen Brigade and WooHooVin (with all its WooHoo Angels) for reading and reviewing me, making me feel I have something worth writing. Special thanks to Rachel and Kimblebits for always leaving me some comments and making me feel confident in my ability. I did it girls! ;- ) 


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